




































PHILOSOPHY II SPOET 


MADE 

SCIENCE PNj EARNEST: 


BEING AN ATTEMPT TO IMPLANT IN THE YOUNG MIND THE FIRST 
PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY BY THE AID OF 
Tift POPULAR TOYS AND SPORTS OF YOUTH. 



EIGHTH EDITION, 


REVISED AND CONSIDER ABLY ENLARGED, WITH 8EVERAL 
ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS. 


NEW YORK: 

CLARK, AUSTIN & SMITH, 

3 PARK ROW AND 8 ANN-STREET 

1 855 . 

















The JOHN J. and HANNA M. McMANUH 
And MORRIS N. and CHESLEY V. YOUNQ 




Collection 


Gift—Oct. ;*2, 1^5 


: , * 1 


■ 






TO THE READER. 


Tell me, gentle Reader, whether thou hast not heard of the 
box of Pandora, which was no sooner opened by the unhappy 
Epimetheus, than it gave flight to a troop of malevolent spirits, 
which have ever since tormented the human race.— Behold !— I 
here present you with a magic casket containing a genius alone 
capable of counteracting their direful spells. Perchance thou 
mayst j3ay. that its aspect but ill accords with the richness of its 
promised treasure; so appeared the copper vessel found by the 
fisherman, as related in the Arabian tale ; but remember, that no 
sooner had he broken its mystic seal, than the imprisoned genius 
spread itself over the ocean and raised its giant limbs above the 
clouds. But tliis was an evil and treacherous spirit; mine is as 
benevolent as he is mighty, and seeks communion with our race 
for no other object than to render mortals virtuous and happy. 
To be plain, my young friends, if you have not already unriddled 
my allegory, his name is Philosophy. 

In your progress through life, be not so vain as to believe that 
you will escape the evils with which its path is beset. Arm 
yourselves, therefore, with, the talisman that can, at once, deprive 
adversity of its sting, and prosperity of its dangers; for such, be¬ 
lieve me, is the rare privilege of philosophy. 

I must now take leave of you for a short time, in order that I 
may address a few words to your parents and preceptors ; but, 
as I have no plot to abridge your liberties, or lengthen your 
hours of study, you may listen to my address without alarm, and 
to my plan without suspicion. Imagine not, however, that I shall 
recommend the dismissal of the cane, or the whip; on the con¬ 
trary, I shall insist upon them as necessary and indispensable im¬ 
plements for the accomplishment of my design ; but the method 



6 


TO THE EEADEK. 


of applying them "will be changed ; with the one I shall construct 
the bow of the kite, with the other I shall spin the top. 

The object of the present work is to inculcate that early love 
of science which can never be derived from the sterner produc¬ 
tions. Youth is naturally addicted to amusement, and in this 
item his expenditure too often exceeds his allotted income. I 
have, therefore, taken the liberty to draw a draft upon Philoso¬ 
phy, with the full assurance that it will be gratefully repaid, with 
compound interest, ten years after date. But to be serious ; those 
who superintend the education of youth should be apprised of 
the great importance of the first impressions. Rousseau has said, 
that the seeds of future vices or virtues are more frequently 
sown by the mother than by the tutor; thereby intimating that 
the characters of men are often determined by the earliest im¬ 
pressions ; and, of so much moment did Quintilian regard this 
truth, that he recommends to us the example of Philip, who did 
not suffer any other than Aristotle to teach Alexander to read. 
In like manner, those who do not commence their study of nature 
at an early season, will afterward have many unnecessary obsta¬ 
cles to encounter. The difficulty of comprehending the princi¬ 
ples of Natural Philosophy frequently arises from their being at 
variance with those false ideas which early associations have im¬ 
pressed upon the mind; the first years of study, are, therefore, 
expended in wwlearning, and in clearing away the weeds, which 
would never have taken root in a properly cultivated soil “ To 
enter into the kingdom of knowledge,” said Lord Bacon, “ we must 
put on the spirit of little children.” 

Writers on practical education have repeatedly advocated the 
advantages of the plan I am so anxious to enforce ; but, strange 
to say, it is only within a few years that any works have appeared 
at all calculated to afford the necessary assistance. In short, pre¬ 
vious to the labors of Mrs. Marcet and Miss Edgeworth, the pro¬ 
ductions published for the purpose of juvenile instruction may be 
justly charged with the grossest errors; and must have proved as 




TO THE READER. 


7 


destructive to the mind of the young reader, as the book present¬ 
ed by the physician Douban is said to have been to the Grecian 
king, who, as the Arabian tale relates, imbibed fresh poison as he 
turned over each leaf, until he fell lifeless in the presence of hia 
courtiers ; or, to give another illustration,—as mischievous as the 
magic volume of Michael Scott, which, as Dempster informs us, 
could not be opened without the danger of invoking some malig¬ 
nant fiend by the operation. 

11 Henceforth let all young men take heed 
^-How in a conjurer’s book they read.”* 

How infinitely superior in execution and purpose are the juve¬ 
nile works of the present century !—to borrow a metaphor from 
Coleridge, they may be truly said to resemble a collection of mir¬ 
rors set in the same frame, each having its own focus of knowl¬ 
edge, yet all capable of converging to one point. 

Allow me, friendly Reader, before I conclude my address, to 
say a few words upon the plan and execution of the work before 
you. It is not intended to supersede or clash with any of the 
elementary treatises to which I have alluded ; indeed, its plan is 
so peculiar, that I apprehend such a charge cannot be brought 
against it. The author originally composed it for the exclusive 
use of his children, and would certainly never have consigned it 
to the press, but at the earnest solicitations of those friends upon 
whose judgment he placed the utmost reliance. Let this be re¬ 
ceived as an answer to those who, believing that they can recog¬ 
nize the writer, may be induced to exclaim with Menedemus in 
Terence,—“ Tantumns est ab re tud otii tibi aliena ut cures , eaque 
nihil quce ad te attinent Its French translator}: regrets that 

* Southey’s Minor Poems. 

t “Have you such leisure from your own affairs 
To think of those that don’t concern you ?” 

$ Le Science enseignee par les Jeux: imitC de 1’Anglais, par T. Richard, 
Professeur de Math6matiques. Paris , d la Librairie Encyclopidique de 
Roret, Rue Hautefeuille. 



8 


TO THE READER. 


he is unable to give the name of the English author ; while, by 
not withholding his own, he affords me the gratifying opportunity 
of identifying M. Bichard as the person to whom I am obliged 
for the ability with which he has executed a difficult undertak¬ 
ing. Addison, I believe, has said that “ a Pun can be no more 
translated than it can be engravedI can therefore readily par¬ 
don the Professor for having lopped off at least three-fourths of 
my kite’s tail , to say nothing of sundry other mutilations ; it is 
true, indeed, that he has offered compensation by the introduction 
of many clever calembourgs and. smart jeux-de-mot. My Ameri¬ 
can Editor had not that difficulty to encounter, and I only regret 
that he did not enliven some of its passages with the humour so 
characteristic of his country. 

In composing a scientific work for elementary instruction, 
nothing is more difficult than to conceive a standard of informa¬ 
tion so nicely adjusted as shall explain without being too pro¬ 
found, and instruct without being too superficial. Upon such an 
occasion its author is pretty much in the predicament of an usher 
when taking his younger pupils on a bathing excursion ; who has 
to avoid the brook as too shallow for recreation, and the pool as 
too deep for safety. 

It is scarcely necessary to offer any apology for the conversa¬ 
tional plan of instruction; the success of Mrs. Marcet’s dialogues 
had placed its value beyond dispute. It may, however, be ob¬ 
served, that this species of composition may be executed in two 
different ways,—either as direct conversation, where none but 
the speakers appear, which is the method used by Plato; or as 
the recital of a conversation, where the author himself appears, 
and gives an account of what passed in discourse, which is the 
plan generally adopted by Cicero. The reader is aware that 
Mrs. Marcet, in her “ Conversations on Philosophy,” has adopted 
the former, while Miss Edgeworth, in her “ Harry and Lucy,” 
has preferred the latter method. In composing the present work 
I have followed the plan of the last-mentioned authoress. Its 



TO THE EEADEE. 


9 


advantage over the more direct conversational style consists in 
allowing occasional remarks, which come more aptly from the 
author than from any of the characters engaged; indeed the for¬ 
malities of the dialogue are necessarily opposed to any deviations 
from an appointed course, and may thereby exclude much useful 
information that might otherwise be incidentally introduced. 

If scientific dialogues are less popular in our times than they 
were in ancient days, it must be attributed to the frigid and in¬ 
sipid manner in which they have too frequently been executed: 
if we except the mere external forms of conversation, and that 
one character isftjaade to speak and the other to answer, they are 
altogether the same as if the author himself spoke throughout 
the whole, instead of amusing with a varied style of conversa¬ 
tion, and with a display of consistent and well-supported charac¬ 
ters. The introduction of a person of humor, to enliven the dis¬ 
course, is sanctioned by the highest authority. Caesar is thus in¬ 
troduced by Cicero, and Cynthio by Addison. In the introduction 
of Mr. Twaddleton and Major Snapwell, I am well aware of the 
criticisms to which I am exposed ; I have exercised my fancy 
with a freedom and latitude for which, probably, there is not any 
precedent in a scientific work. I have even ventured so far to 
deviate from the beaten track as to skirmish upon the frontiers of 
the Novelist, and to bring off captive some of the artillery of Ro¬ 
mance ; but if, by so doing, I have enhanced the interest of my 
work, and furthered the accomplishment of its object, let me en¬ 
treat that mere novelty may not be urged to its disparagement. 
The antiquarian Vicar, however, will, I trust, meet with cordial 
reception from the classical student.* As to Ned Hopkins, 

* It is, at least, gratifying to know that Miss Edgeworth, no mean authority, 
has expressed her approbation of this character. In a letter addressed to the 
author, she says, “As you may wish to know what pleased me particularly, I 
will mention the character of the antiquarian vicar, and Tom Plank, both of 
which are the means of introducing much amusing and useful information in 
an appropriate manner,” 



x, 


AO 


TO THE READER. 


although he may not bear a comparison with William Summers, 
the fool of Henry VIII.—or with Richard Tarleton, who “ un- 
dumpished Queen Elizabeth at his pleasure”—or with Archibald 
Armstrong (vulgo Archie), jester to Charles, yet I will maintain, 
ill spite of the Vicar’s censure, that he is a right merry fellow, 
and to the Major, and consequently to our history, a most impor¬ 
tant accessory. Should any of my readers be old enough to re¬ 
member “ Jemmy Gordon,” of Cambridge notoriety, they will not 
consider the character overdrawn. I will only add that, in car¬ 
rying on a consistent story, by the aid of fictitious characters, cer¬ 
tain details and levities, otherwise open to the charge of being 
unmeaning intrusions, are necessary means for giving to it such 
an air of truthful life, as shall sustain the reader during its pro 
gress in a rational belief of its realities. 

If it be urged that several of my comic representations are cal 
culated, like seasoning, to stimulate the palate of the novel-reader, 
rather than to nourish the minds of the younger class, for whom 
the work was written, I might, were I so disposed, plead com¬ 
mon usage ; for does not the director of a juvenile fete courte¬ 
ously introduce a few piquant dishes for the entertainment of 
those elder personages who may attend in the character of chape¬ 
rone ? You surely could not deny me the benefit of such a pre¬ 
cedent ; and so, gentle Reader, in full confidence of your favor, 
I bid thee—Farewell! 



CONTENTS 


CHAPTER I. 

Tom Seymour’s arrival from school.—Description of Overton Lodge. 
—The Horologe of Flora. —A geological temple.—A sketch of 
the person and character of the Reverend Peter Twaddleton.— 
His antipathy to puns.—Mr. Seymour engages to furnish his son 
with any toy, the philosophy of which he is able to explain.—Mr. 
Twaddleton’s arrival and reception.—His remonstrance against 
the diffusion of science among the village mechanics.—A dialogue 
between Mr. Seymour and the Vicar, which some will dislike, 
more approve of, and all laugh at.—The plan of teaching philos¬ 
ophy by the aid of toys developed and discussed.—Play and 
work.—Toys and Tasks.—Mr. Twaddleton’s objections answered. 
—He relents, and engages to furnish an antiquarian history of the 
various toys and sports.Page 17 

CHAPTER II. 

On gravitation.—Weight.—The velocity of falling bodies.—At what 
altitude a body would lose its gravity.—The Tower of Babel.— 
The known velocity of sound affords the means of calculating 
distances.—The sound of the woodman’s axe.—An excursion to 
Overton well.—An experiment to ascertain its depth.—A visit to 
the Vicarage.—The Magic Gallery.—Return to the Lodge.... 41 

CHAPTER III. 

Motion, absolute and relative.— Uniform, accelerated, and retarded 
velocity.—The times of ascent and descent are equal.—Vis iner¬ 
tias.—Friction.—Action and reaction are equal and in opposite di¬ 
rections.—Momentum defined and explained.—The three great 
laws of motion. 62 

CHAPTER IV. 

A sad accident turned to a good account.—One example worth a 
hundred precepts.—Vis inertise.—The Bandilor. An experi¬ 
ment.—The centers of magnitude and gravity.—The point of sus¬ 
pension.—The line of direction.—The stability of bodies, and 
upon what it depends.— Method of finding the center of gravity 




12 


CONTENTS. 


of a body.—The art of the balancer explained and illustrated.— 
Walking on stilts.—Various balancing toys. 78 

CHAPTEE V. 

The Chinese Tumblers, illustrating the joint effects of change in the 
center of gravity of a body, and of momentum.—Mr. Twaddle- 
ton’s arrival after a series of adventures.—The Dancing Balls. 
— The Pea-shooter.— A Figure that dances on a fountain.— The 
Flying Witch. —Elasticity.—Springs.—The game of “ Eicochet,” 
or duck and drake.—The Eebounding Ball. —Animals that leap 
by means of an elastic apparatus.—The industrious fleas.—A new 
species of puffing, by which the Vicar is made to change counte¬ 
nance. 97 

CHAPTEE VI. 

The arrival of Major Snapwell, and the bustle it occasioned.—The 
maiden ladies of Overton perplexed, but not subdued.—The Vi¬ 
car’s interview with the stranger.—The object of the latter in 
visiting Overton.—A curious discussion.—A word or two addressed 
to fox-hunters.—Verbal corruptions.—Some geometrical defini¬ 
tions.—An instructive enigma. 113 

CHAPTEE VII. 

Compound forces.—The composition and resolution of motion.— 
Eotatory motion.—The Eevolving Watch-glass. —The Sling. — 
The centrifugal and centripetal forces.—Theory of pojectiles.— 
The trundling of a mop.—The centrifugal railway.—A geological 
conversation between Mr. Seymour and the Viekr, in which the 
latter displays his powers of ridicule. 129 

CHAPTEE VIII. 

The subject of rotatory motion continued.—A ball, by having a pe¬ 
culiar spinning motion imparted to it, may be made to stop short, 
or to retrograde, though it meets not with any apparent obstacle. 
—The rectilinear path of a spherical body influenced by its rota¬ 
tory motion.— Bilboquet, or Cup and Ball. —The joint forces 
which enable the balancer to throw up and catch his balls on the 
full gallop.—The Hoop. —The center of percussion.—The Whip 
and Peg Top.—Historical notices.—The power by which the. top 
is enabled to sustain its vertical position during the act of spin¬ 
ning.—The sleeping of the top explained.—The force which 
enables it to rise from an oblique into a vertical position.—Its gy¬ 
ration................. .147 








CONTENTS. 


13 


CHAPTER IX. 

Trap and Ball.— Gifts from the Vicar.—An antiquarian history of 
the ball.—Tennis.—Goff, or bandy-ball.—Eoot-ball.—The game 
of pall-mall. — The See-saw. —The mechanical powers.—The 
Swing. —The Bandilor. —The doctrine of oscillation.—Galileo’s 
discovery.—The pendulum.—An intersting letter.—Mr. Seymour 
and the Vicar visit Major Snapwell.1.162 

CHAPTER X. 

Marbles. —Antiquity of the game.—Method of manufacturing them. 
—Ring-taw.—Mr. Seymour, the Vicar, and Tom, enter the lists.— 
The defeat of the two former combatants ; the triumph of the lat- 
• ter.—A philosophical explanation of the several movements.—A 
gossiping interlude.—The rudiments of the steam-engine first ap¬ 
peared as a toy.—The native children of the Orinoco perform an 
electrical experiment.—The subject of reflected motion illustrated. 
—The Vicar’s apology, of which many grave personages will ap¬ 
prove.....177 

CHAPTER XI. 

Mr. Seymour and his family visit the Major at Osterley Park.—A 
controversy between the Vicar and the Major.—The Sucker. —Co¬ 
hesive attraction.—Pressure of the atmosphere.—Meaning of the 
term suction.—Certain animals attach themselves to rocks by a 
contrivance analogous to the sucker.—The limpet.—The walrus. 
—Locomotive organs of the house-fly.—A terrible accident.—A 
scene in the village, in which Dr. Doseall figures as a principal 
performer.—The Vicar’s sensible remonstrance.—The density of 
the atmosphere at different altitudes.—The Bottle-Imps.— The 
Pop-Gun. —The Air-Gun. —An antiquarian discussion, in which 
the Vicar and Major Snapwell greatly distinguish themselves 190 

CHAPTER XII. 

A short chapter brought to a violent and untimely end.—The doings 
of Dr. Doseall, unlike his steam, admit of condensation—The 
Vicar’s consternation.—An explosion.—A moral.211 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Soap-bubble — The Squirt— The Bellows; an explanation of 
their several parts.—By whom the instrument was invented. 
The sucking and lifting, or common pump.—An experiment illus- 

2 






14 


CONTENTS. 


trative of atmospheric pressure.—The Maguc Bottle and its won¬ 
ders .214 

CHAPTER XIV. 

The Kite.—I ts construction.—The tail.—An author’s meditations 
among the catacombs of Paternoster-row.—Works in their wind¬ 
ing-sheets.—How Mr. Seymour strung puns as he strung the 
kite’s tail.—The Vicar’s dismay.—Kites constructed in various 
shapes.—Origin of the name.—The kite of Chinese origin.—Kite¬ 
flying a national pastime.—The figure usually adopted to he pre¬ 
ferred.229 

CHAPTER XV. 

The weather, with the hopes and fears which it alternately inspired.® 
—The oracular flowers.—Preparations for the flight of the kite.—A 
discourse on the theory of flying.—Anatomical errors of the artist 
in depicting the wings of angels.—The structure and action of the. 
wings of the bird.—A philosophical disquisition upon the forces 
by which the ascent of the kite is accomplished.—The tail of the 
bird compared with the rudder of a ship.—The tail of the kite.— 
The altitude to which a kite can descend has a defined limit.—A 
series of kites on one string.—A Kite-cabriage.—T he Messenger. 
—The practical uses to which the kite has been applied.—The 
causes, direction, and velocity of wind explained.—The Flying- 
top .240 

CHAPTEE XVI. 

A short discourse.—The Shuttlecock.—I ts construction.—The solu- 

* tion of two problems connected with its flight.—The Windmill.— 
The smokejack.—A toy constructed on the same principle.—The 
Bow and Arrow.—^A rchery.—The arrival of Isabella Villers. 261 

CHAPTEE XVII. 

A curious and discursive dialogue between the Vicar and Miss Vil¬ 
lers.—A passionate appeal in favor of flowers.—An enigma.—The 
riddles of Sampson and Cleobulus.—The myth of Castor and 
Pollux.—Sound.—How propagated by aerial vibration.—Theory 
of musical sounds...275 

CHAPTEE XVIII. 

A learned discussion, touching the superior powers of ancient, com¬ 
pared with modern music.—Mr. Seymour combats the prejudices 
of the Vicar, and supports the claims of modern music.—The im- 







CONTENTS. 


15 


portance of national airs and ballads.—Dibdin’s songs, and Monk 
Lewis’s ballads.—Poetry the sister of Music.—The sirens of Ho¬ 
mer.—The magic of music, a game here described for the first 
time.—The Vicar’s performance.—Adventures by moonlight. 

•—Spirits of the valley and a specter at the waterfall.—Good¬ 
night.290 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Origin of the crescent as the Turkish ensign.—Apparitions dispelled, 
and mysteries solved, by philosophy.—Fairy-rings.—Musical in¬ 
struments classed under three divisions.—Mixed instruments.— 
Theory of wind instruments.—The Jews-harp. —The statue of 
Memnon.—An interesting experiment.—The flute.—The Whiz- 
gig, &c.—Echoes.—The myth of Narcissus...805 

CHAPTER XX. 

The whispering gallery in the dome of St. Paul’s.—The speaking- 
trumpet.—The invisible girl, and the amusement she occasioned. 
—Charades.—Other acoustic amusements.—Mysterious sounds. 

—Creaking shoes.323 

CHAPTER XXI. 

An interesting communication from which the reader may learn that 
the most important events are not those which absorb the greatest 
portion of time in their recital.—Major Snapwell communicates to 
Mr. Seymour and the Vicar his determination to celebrate the 
marriage of his nephew by a f6te at Osterley Park.— Punch and 
the Fantoccini. —An antiquarian discussion of grave importance.— 
Origin of the bride-cake.—An interview with Ned Hopkins, dur¬ 
ing which he displays much cunning and humor, and is engaged 
by the Major as the director of his proposed comic entertain¬ 
ment. 884 

CHAPTER XXII. 

The flower-garden.—Reasons for placing it near your dwelling.- 
Early passion for flowers endures through life.—Advantages aris¬ 
ing from their cultivation.—Its pleasures enhanced by the appli¬ 
cation of science.—Contrast, a source of pleasure.—Illustrations. 
—The philosophy of colors.—Complementary, or accidental col ora. 
—Experiments with colored wafers.—Optical fallacies. Reflec¬ 
tions in the alcove of the Major’s garden.—Practical suggestions 
and conclusions. 8 ^ 8 








16 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

A new optical toy invented by the author, and termed the Thatjma- 
trope.— The Vicar’s ludicrous alarm at its announcement. — Ex¬ 
planation of its principle.—Retentive power of the retina.—Spec¬ 
tral, or accidental colors.—The cross of Constantine.—Suggestions 
for improving the thaumatrope.—Other toys upon the same opti¬ 
cal principle.— Phantasmascope.—Pblenakistiscope. —Important 
conclusion of the chapter.369 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Preparations for the approaching f6te.—The arrival of the guests.— 
The procession of the bridal party to Osterley Park.—The Major 
and his visitors superintend the arrangements in the meadow.— 
The curious discussions which took place on that occasion.—The 
origin of the swing. — Merry-andrews. — Tragetours, &c.—The 
dinner at the hall.—The learned controversy which was main¬ 
tained with respect to the game of chess.396 

CHAPTER XXV. 

The arrival of the populace at Osterley park.—The commencement 
of the festivities.—Dancing on the tight and slack rope.—Balan¬ 
cing.—An egg poised on its broad and narrow end.—Conjuring. 
—The Mysterious Lady.—The King of the Salamanders.—The 
fire ordeal.—Water frozen in a red-hot crucible.—Ice set on fire.— 
Optical illusions.—Phantasmagoria.—Deceptive sounds.—Invisi¬ 
ble girl.—Ventriloquism.—Various games.—The Penthalum.— 
Quoits.—The banquet.—The game of Quintain.—Grand display 
of fireworks.—Colored fires.—A tableau in the infernal regions. 
—Conclusion. 415 


■ 






PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT. 


CHAPTER I. 

tom Seymour’s arrival from school.—description of overton 

LODGE.-THE HOROLOGE OF FLORA.-A GEOLOGICAL TEMPLE.- 

A SKETCH OF THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF THE REVEREND 

PETER TWADDLETON.-HIS ANTIPATHY TO PUNS.-MR. SEYMOUR 

ENGAGES TO FURNISH HIS SON WITH ANY TOY, THE PHILOSOPHY 

OF WHICH HE IS ABLE TO EXPLAIN.-MR. TWADDLETON’s ARRIVAL 

AND RECEPTION.-HIS REMONSTRANCE AGAINST THE DIFFUSION 

OF SCIENCE AMONGST THE VILLAGE MECHANICS.-A DIALOGUE 

BETWEEN MR. SEYMOUR AND THE VICAR, WHICH SOME WILL 

DISLIKE, MORE APPROVE OF, AND ALL LAUGH AT. THE PLAN 

OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY BY THE AID OF TOYS DEVELOPED AND 

DISCUSSED.-PLAY AND WORK.-TOYS AND TASKS.-MR. TWADDLE- 

TON’S OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.-HE RELENTS, AND ENGAGES TO 

FURNISH AN ANTIQUARIAN HISTORY OF THE VARIOUS TOYS AND 
SPORTS. 


The summer recess of Mr. Pearson’s school was not more 
anxiously anticipated by the scholars than by the numerous 
family of Seymour, who, at the commencement of the year, 
had parted from a beloved son and brother for the first 
time. As the season of relaxation approached, so did the 
inmates of Overton Lodge (for such was the name of Mr. 
Seymour’s seat) betray increasing impatience for its arrival. 
The three elder sisters, Louisa, Fanny, and Kosa, had been 
engaged for several days in arranging the little study 

2 * 





18 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


which their brother Tom had usually occupied. His books 
were carefully replaced on their shelves, and bunches of 
roses and jasmines, which the affectionate girls had culled 
from the finest trees in the garden, were tastefully dis¬ 
persed through the apartment; the festoons of blue ribands, 
with which they were entwined, at once announced them¬ 
selves as the work of graceful hands impelled by light 
hearts; and every flower might be said to reflect from its 
glowing petals the smiles with which it had been collected 
and arranged. At length the happy day arrived; a carriage 
drew up to the gate, and Tom was once again folded in 
the arms of his affectionate and delighted parents. The 
little group surrounded their beloved brother, and welcomed 
his return with all the warmth and artlessness of juvenile 
sincerity. “Well,” said Mr. Seymour, “if the improvement 
of your mind corresponds with that of your looks, I shall 
indeed have reason to congratulate myself upon the choice of 
your school. But have you brought me any letter, from Mr. 
Pearson?” “I have,” replied Tom, who presented his father 
with a note from his master, in which he dwelt in high terms 
of commendation, not only upon the general conduct of his 
pupil, but upon the rapid progress he had made in his classi¬ 
cal studies. 

“ My dearest boy,” exclaimed the delighted father, “lam 
more than repaid for the many anxious moments which I 
have passed on your account. I find that your conduct has 
given the highest satisfaction to your master; and that your 
good-nature, generosity, and, above all, your strict adherence 
to truth, have insured the love and esteem of your school¬ 
fellows.” This gratifying report brought tears of joy into 
the eyes of Mrs. Seymour; Tom’s cheek glowed with the 
feeling of conscious merit; and the sisters interchanged looks 
of mutual satisfaction. Can there be an incentive to indus¬ 
try and virtuous conduct more powerful than the exhilar¬ 
ating smiles of approbation winch the schoolboy receives 
from an affectionate parent? Tom would not have ex¬ 
changed his feelings for all the world, and he internally 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


19 


vowed that he would never deviate from a course that had 
been productive of so much happiness. 

“ But come,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, u let us all retire 
into the library. I am sure that our dear fellow will he 
glad of some refreshment after his journey.” 

"We shall here leave the family circle to the undisturbed 
enjoyment of their domestic banquet, and invite the reader 
to accompany us in a stroll about the grounds of this beau¬ 
tiful and secluded retreat. 

"We are among those who believe that the habits and 
character of a family may be as easily discovered from the 
rural taste displayed in the grounds which surround their habi 
tation, as by any examination of the prominences on their 
heads, or of the lineaments in their faces. How vividly is 
the decline of an ancient race depicted by the chilling deso¬ 
lation which reigns around the mansion, and by the rank 
weed which insolently triumphs over its fading splendor; 
and how equally expressive of the peaceful and contented 
industry of the thriving cottager, is the well-cultivated patch 
which adjoins the humble dwelling, around whose rustic porch 
the luxuriant lilac clusters, or the aspiring woodbine twines 
its green tendrils and sweetly scented blossoms! In like 
manner did the elegantly disposed grounds of Overton Lodge 
at once announce the classic taste and fostering presence of 
a refined and highly cultivated family. 

The house, which was in the.Ionic style of architecture, 
was situated on the declivity of a hill, so that the verdant 
lawn which was spread before its southern front, after re¬ 
taining its level for a short distance, gently sloped to the vale 
beneath, and was terminated by a luxuriant shrubbery, over 
which the eye commanded a range of fair inclosures, beauti¬ 
fied by an irregularly undulating surface, and interspersed 
with rich masses of wood. The uniformity of the lawn 
was broken by occasional clumps of flowering shrubs, so art¬ 
fully selected and arranged, as to afford all the varied charms 
of contrast; while, here and there, a lofty elm flung its 
gigantic arms over the sward beneath, which enabled the 





20 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


inhabitants of the Lodge, like the philosophers of old, to 
converse in the shade even during the heat of a meridian 
sun. The shrubbery, which occupied a considerable portion 
of the valley, stretched for some distance up the western 
part of the hill; and could Shenstone have wandered through 
its winding paths and deep recesses, his own Leasowes might 
have suffered from a comparison. Here were mingled shrubs 
of every varied dye; the elegant foliage of white and scarlet 
acacias was blended with the dark-green-leaved chestnut; 
and the stately branches of the oak were relieved by the 
gracefully pendulous boughs of the birch. At irregular 
intervals, the paths expanded into verdant glades, in each 
of which the bust of some favorite poet or philosopher an¬ 
nounced the genius to which they were severally consecrated. 
From a description of one or two of these sequestered spots, 
the reader will readily conceive the taste displayed in all. 

After winding, for some distance, through a path so closely 
interwoven with shrubs and trees that scarcely a sunbeam 
could struggle through the foliage, a gleam of light suddenly 
burst through the gloom, and displayed a beautiful marble 
figure, which had been executed by a Eoman artist, repre¬ 
senting Flora in the act of being attired by Spring. It was 
placed in the center of the expanse formed by the retiring 
trees, and at its base were flowering, at measured intervals, a 
variety of those plants to which Linnaeus has given the name 
of Equinoctial Flowers , since they open and close at certain 
and exact hours of the day, and thus by proper arrangement 
constitute the Horologe of Flora, or Nature’s time¬ 
piece. It had been constructed, under the direction of her 
mother, by Louisa Seymour. The hour of the day at which 
each plant opened was represented by an appropriate figure 
of nicely trimmed box; and these, being arranged in a circle, 
not only fulfilled the duty, but exhibited the appearance of a 
dial. 

From this retreat several winding paths threaded their 
mazy way through the deep recesses of the wood; and the 
wanderer, quitting for a while the blaze of day, was refreshed 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


21 


by the subdued light which everywhere pervaded the avenue, 
except where the hand of taste had, here and there, turned 
aside the boughs, and opened a vista to bring the village 
spire into view, or to gladden the sight by a rich prospect of 
the distant landscape. After having descended for some 
way, the path, losing its inclined direction, proceeded on a 
level, and thus announced to the stranger his arrival at the 
bottom of the valley. What a rich display of woodland 
scenery was suddenly presented to his view! A rocky glen, 
in which large masses of sandstone were grouped with pic¬ 
turesque boldness, terminated the path, and formed an area 
wherein he might gaze on the mighty sylvan amphitheater, 
which gradually rose to a towering height above him, and 
seemed to interpose an insuperable barrier between the soli¬ 
tude of this sequestered spot and the busy haunts of men; 
not a sound assailed the ear, save the murmur of the summer 
breeze, as it swept the trembling foliage, or the brawling of 
a small mountain stream, which gushed from the rock, and, 
like an angry chit, fretted and fumed as it encountered the 
obstacles that had been raised by its own impetuosity. This 
was the favorite retreat of Mr. Seymour, and he had dedi¬ 
cated it to the genius of geology ; here had he erected a tem¬ 
ple to the memory of Werner, and every pillar and ornament 
bore testimony to the refined taste of its architect. It con¬ 
sisted of a dome, constructed of innumerable shells and 
corallines, and surmounted by a marble figure of Atlas, bear¬ 
ing the globe on his shoulders, upon which the name of Wer¬ 
ner was inscribed. This dome was supported by twelve 
pillars of so singular and beautiful a construction as to merit 
a particular description: the Corinthian capital of each was 
of Pentelican marble; the column consisted of a spiral of 
about six inches in breadth, which wound round a central 
shaft of not more than two inches in. diameter; upon this 
spiral were placed specimens of various rocks, of such masses 
as to fill up the outline, and to present to the eye the appear¬ 
ance of a substantial and well-proportioned pillar. These 
specimens were arranged in an order corresponding with 



22 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


their acknowledged geological relations; thus, the Diluvial 
productions occupied the higher compartments; the Primi¬ 
tive strata, the lower ones; and the Secondary and Transi¬ 
tion series found intermediate places. The tesselated floor 
presented the different varieties of marble, so artfully inter¬ 
spersed as to afford a most harmonious combination; the 
Unicolored , variegated , Madreporic , the Lumachella , Cipo- 
lino , and Breccia marbles, were each represented by a char¬ 
acteristic and well-defined specimen. The alcoved ceiling 
sparkled with Pock Crystal , interspersed with calcareous 
Stalactites , and beautiful Chalcedonies. A group of figures 
in basso relievo adorned the wall which inclosed about a 
third part of the interior of the temple, and its subject gave 
evidence of the Wernerian devotion of Mr. Seymour; for it 
represented a contest between Pluto and Neptune, in which 
the watery god was seen in the act of wresting the burning 
torch from the hand of Ms adversary, in order to quench it 
in the ocean. Mr. Seymour had studied in the school of 
Freyburg, under the auspices of its celebrated professor; and, 
like all the pupils of Werner, he pertinaciously maintained 
the aqueous origin of our strata. But let us return to 
the happy party at the Lodge, whom the reader will remem¬ 
ber we left at their repast. This having been concluded, and 
all those various subjects discussed, and questions answered, 
which the schoolboy, who has ever felt the satisfaction of 
returning home for the holidays, will more easily conceive 
than we can describe, Tom inquired of his father, whether 
his old friend, Mr. Twaddleton, the vicar of Overton, was 
well, and at the Parsonage. “ He is quite well,” said Mr. 
Seymour, “ and so anxious to see you, that he has paid sev¬ 
eral visits during the morning, to inquire whether you had 
arrived. Depend upon it, that many hours will not elapse' 
before you see him.” 

In that wish did Tom and the whole juvenile party heart¬ 
ily concur; for the vicar, notwithstanding his oddities, was 
the most affectionate creature in existence, and never was he 
more truly happy than when contributing to the innocent 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


23 


amusement of his little “ playmates ,” as he used to call Tom 
and his sisters. 

It may he here necessary to present the reader with a 
short sketch of the character of a person, who will be here¬ 
after found to perform a prominent part in the little drama 
of Overton Lodge. 

The Rev. Peter Twaddleton, Master of Arts, and Fellow 
of the Society of Antiquaries, for we must introduce him in 
due form, was about fifty-six years of age, twenty of which 
he had spent at Cambridge, as a resident Fellow of Jesus Col¬ 
lege. He had not possessed the vicarage of Overton above 
eight or nine years ; and although its value never exceeded a 
hundred and eighty pounds a year, so limited were his wants, 
and so frugal his habits that he generally contrived to save a 
considerable sum out of his income, in order that he might 
devote it to purposes of charity and benevolence: his char¬ 
ity, however, was not merely of the hand, but of the heart; 
distress was unknown in his village; he fed the hungry, 
instructed the ignorant, nursed the sick, and cheered the 
unfortunate; his long collegiate residence had imparted to 
his mind several peculiar traits, and a certain stiffness of ad¬ 
dress and quaintness of manner which at once distinguish the 
recluse from the man of the world; in short, as Shakspeare 
expresses it, “ he was not hackney'd in the ways of men .” 
His face was certainly the very reverse to every thing that 
could be considered “good looking,” and yet, when he 
smiled, there was an animation that redeemed the otherwise 
harsh expression of his angular features; so benevolent was 
this smile, it was impossible not to feel that sentiment of 
respect and admiration which the presence of a superior per¬ 
son is wont to inspire; but his superiority was rather that 
of the heart than of the head ; not that we would insinuate 
any inferiority in intellect, but that his moral excellences 
were so transcendent as to throw into the shade all those 
mental qualities which he possessed in common with his class. 
He entertained a singular aversion to the mathematics, a pre¬ 
judice which we are inclined to refer to his disappointment 



24 


PHILOSOPHY IN' SPORT 


in the senate-liouse; for, although he was known at Cam¬ 
bridge as one of those “ pale beings in spectacles and cotton 
stockings,” commonly called “ reading-men” yet, after all his 
exertions, he only succeeded in obtaining the u wooden spoon” 
an honor which devolves upon the last of the u junior op- 
times .” Whether his failure rose from an exuberant or a 
deficient genius, or, to speak phrenologically , from an excess 
in his number of bumps , or a defect in his bump of numbers, 
we are really unable to state, never having had an opportu¬ 
nity of verifying our suspicions by a manual examination of 
his cranium; he was, however, well read in the classics, and 
so devoted to the works of Virgil, that he rarely lost an op¬ 
portunity of quoting his favorite poet; and, although these 
quotations, vented in mangled forms, too generally pervaded 
his conversation, they were sometimes apposite, and now and 
then even witty. But, notwithstanding the delight which 
he experienced in a lusus verborum in a learned language, of 
such contradictory materials was he composed, that his antip¬ 
athy to an English pun was so extravagant as to be ridicu¬ 
lous. This peculiarity has been attributed, but we speak 
merely from common report, to a disgust which he contracted 
for that species of spurious wit, during his frequent inter¬ 
course with the Johnians, a race of students who have, from 
time immemorial, been identified with the most profligate 
class of punsters ;* be this, however, as it may, we are inclined 
to believe that a person who resides much amongst those 
who are addicted to this vice, unless he quickly takes the in¬ 
fection, acquires a sort of constitutional insusceptibility, like 
nurses, who pass their lives in infected apartments with per- 

* It is not easy to imagine the origin of this tradition, nor after considerable 
research can we discover the slightest clew to explain the sobriquet of Hogs , 
in which the members of the same fraternity have so long rejoiced. If the 
Johnians, however, are guiltless of the sin of punning, they have certainly 
been the cause of that sin in others; for instance, the bridge erected over the 
Cam, to connect the new and old courts, has been termed the “Isthmus of 
Sues ”—and on the author passing over this bridge with Mr. Coleridge, the 
latter observed that were a Johnian to hang himself upon it, the jury might 
well bring in a verdict, “ Sue per col." 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


25 


feet safety and impunity. His favorite, and we might add 
his only pursuit, beyond the circle of his profession, was the 
study of antiquities; he was, as we have already stated, a 
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries; had collected a very 
tolerable series of ancient coins, and possessed sufficient criti¬ 
cal acumen to distinguish between Attic aerugo and the spu¬ 
rious verdure of the modern counterfeit. In short, he was a 
keen archaeological mouser of the genuine breed, rejoicing in 
dusty nooks and damp mysterious cells. Often had he under¬ 
taken an expedition of a hundred miles to inspect the interior 
of an ancient barrow, or to examine the moldering frag¬ 
ments of some newly discovered monument; indeed, like the 
connoisseur in cheese, blue-mold and decay were the favor¬ 
ite objects of his taste, and the sure passports to his favor; 
for he despised all living testimony, but that of worms and 
maggots. A coin with the head of a living sovereign passed 
through his hands with as little resistance as water through 
a sieve, but he grasped the head of an Antonine or Otho 
with insatiable and relentless avarice. Mr. Twaddleton’s 
figure exceeded the middle stature, and was so extremely 
slender as to give him the air and appearance of a tall man. 
He was usually dressed in an * old-fashioned suit of black 
cloth, consisting of a single-breasted coat, with a standing 
collar, and deep comprehensive cuffs, and a flapped waist¬ 
coat ; but so awkwardly did these vestments conform with 
the contour of his person, that we might have supposed them 
the production of those Laputan tailors who wrought by 
mathematical principles, and held in sovereign contempt the 
illiterate fashioners who deemed it necessary to measure the 
forms of their customers; although it was whispered by cer¬ 
tain censorious spinsters in the village that the aforesaid 
mathematical artists were better acquainted with the angles 
of the Seven Dials than with the squares of the west end. 
They further surmised that the vicar’s annual journey to Lon¬ 
don, which in truth was undertaken with no other objects than 
those of attending the anniversary of the Society of Antiqua¬ 
ries, on St. George’s day, and of inspecting the cabinets of 

3 



26 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


the British Museum, and that of his old crony, the celebrated 
medalist of Tavistock-street, was for the laudable purpose of 
recruiting his wardrobe. If the aforesaid coat, with its 
straggling and disproportioned suburbs, possessed an ampli¬ 
tude of dimensions which ill-accorded with the slender wants 
of his person, this misapplied liberality was more than com¬ 
pensated by the rigid economy exhibited in the nether part 
of his costume (the innomindbiles of Southey), which evi¬ 
dently had not been designed by a contemporary artisan; not 
so his shoes, which, for the accommodation of those unwel¬ 
come parasites, vulgarly called corns , were constructed in the 
form of a battledore, and displayed such an unbecoming 
quantity of leather, that, as Ned Hopkins, a subaltern wit of 
the village alehouse, observed, u however-economical their 
parson might appear, he was undoubtedly supported in ex¬ 
travagance Nor did the natural association between tithes 
and “ corn-bags ” escape his observation, but was repeated 
with various other allusions of equal piquancy, to the no 
small annoyance of the reverend gentleman, and, as he de¬ 
clared, to the disparagement of his cloth. 

After the social repast had been concluded, Tom proposed 
a ramble through the shrubbery. He was anxious to revisit 
the scene of his former sports; and Louisa readily met his 
wishes, for she was also desirous of showing him the botanical 
clock , which had been planned and completed during his ab¬ 
sence. • Mr. and Mrs. Seymour accompanied their children, 
and, as they walked across the lawn, Tom asked his father 
whether he remembered the promise he had made him on 
quitting home for school, that of furnishing him some new 
amusements during the holidays. 

“I perfectly remember,” said his father, “the promise to 
which you allude, and I hope that you equally well rec¬ 
ollect the conditions with which it was coupled. When 
your mamma gave you a copy of Mrs. Marcet’s instructive 
Dialogues on Natural Philosophy, I told you that, after you 
had studied the principles which that work so admirably ex¬ 
plains, you would have but little difficulty in understanding 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


27 


the philosophy of toys, or the manner in which each produ¬ 
ced its amusing effects; and that, when the midsummer holi¬ 
days commenced, I would successively supply you with a 
new amusement, whenever you could satisfactorily explain 
the principles of those you already possessed. Was not that 
our contract?” 

“It was,” exclaimed Tom, with great eagerness; “and I 
am sure I shall win the prize, whenever you will try me, and 
I hope my mamma and sisters will be present.” 

“ Certainly,” replied Mr. Seymour, “ and I trust that Lou¬ 
isa and Fanny, who are of an age to understand the subject, 
will not prove uninterested spectators.” 

Mrs. Seymour here remarked that Madame Dacier had ac¬ 
knowledged herself much indebted for her successful career in 
literature to her having attended the lessons given to her 
brother in early life. 

“Exactly so,” said Mr. Seymour, “.she alluded to the les¬ 
sons given by her father, M. Le Fevre; and I hope that John 
will, in like manner, profit by our scheme; and since I shall 
necessarily require, for illustration, certain toys which can 
scarcely afford any amusement to a boy of Tom’s age and ac¬ 
quirements, it is but fair that they should be transferred into 
younger hands; our little philosopher, Matthew, will also, I 
am sure, enter into the spirit of our pastimes with equal satis¬ 
faction and advantage.” 

“ Thank you! thank you! dear papa,” was simultane¬ 
ously shouted by several voices, and the happy children look¬ 
ed forward to the morrow with that mixed sensation of im¬ 
patience and delight which always attends juvenile anticipa¬ 
tions. 

On the following morning, the vicar was seen approaching, 
and Tom and his sisters immediately ran forward to greet 

him. 

“My dear boy,” exclaimed the vicar, “I am truly rejoiced 
to see you ;—when did you arrive from school ?—How goes 
on Virgil?—Hey, my boy?—You must be delighted with the 
great Mantuan bard;—now confess, you little Trojan, can you 



PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


eat a cheesecake without being reminded of the Harpy’s pro¬ 
phecy, and its fulfilment, as discovered by young Ascanius : 

Hens ! etiam mensas consumimus ? inquit lulus.* 

But, bless me, how amazingly you have grown! and how 
healthy you look!” Tom took advantage of this pause in the 
vicar’s address, which had hitherto flowed in so uninterrupted 
and rapid a stream as to preclude the possibility of any reply 
to his questions, to inform him that his father was on the 
lawn, and desirous of seeing him. 

“Mr. Twaddleton,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “you are just 
in time to witness the commencement of a series of amuse¬ 
ments, which I have proposed for Tom’s instruction during 
the holidays.” 

“ Amusement and instruction,” replied the vicar, “ are not 
synonymous in my vocabulary; unless, indeed, they be ap¬ 
plied to the glorious works of Virgil; but let me hear your 
scheme.” 

“I have long thought,” said Mr. Seymour, “that all the 
first principles of natural philosophy might be easily taught, 
and beautifully illustrated, by the common toys which have 
been invented for the amusement of youth.” 

“ A fig for your philosophy!” was the unceremonious and 
chilling reply of the vicar. “ What have boys,” continued 
he, “ to do with philosophy ? Let them learn their grammar, 
scan their hexameters, and construe Virgil; it is time enough 
to inflict upon them the torments of science after their names 
have been entered on the University boards.” 

“ I differ from yorPentirely, my worthy friend; the princi¬ 
ples of natural philosophy cannot be too early inculcated, nor 
can they be too widely diffused. It is surely a great object 
to engage the prepossessions on the side of truth, and to 
direct the natural curiosity of youth to useful objects.” 

“ Hoity toity!” exclaimed the reverend gentleman; “ such 
principles accord not with my creed; heresy, downright 

* “See! we devour the plates on which we fed.”— jEn. vii. 116. 







MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


29 


heresy; that a man of your excellent sense and intelligence 
can be so far deceived! But the world has run mad; and 
much do I grieve to find, that the seclusion of Overton Lodge 
has not secured its inmates from the infection. I came here, 
Mr. Seymour, to receive your sympathy, and to profit by 
your counsel; but, alas! alas! I have fallen into the camp of 
the enemy: ‘ Medios delajpsus in hostes ,’ as Virgil has it.” 

“ You astonish me—what can have happened ?” asked Mr. 
Seymour. 

“There is Tom Plank, the carpenter,” said the vicar, “ so¬ 
liciting subscriptions for the establishment of a philosophical 
society—a ‘Mechanics’ Institute,’ I believe they call it. I 
understand that this mania—for by what other, or more 
charitable term can I express such conduct?—has seized 
this deluded man since his return from London, where he 
has been informed that all the ‘ hewers of wood and drawers 
of water’ are about to associate themselves into societies for 
the promotion of science. Preposterous idea! as if a block of 
wood could not be split without a knowledge of the doctrine 
of percussion; a pa.il of water drawn from the well without 
an acquaintance with hydrostatics ; nor a load securely car¬ 
ried without solving a problem to determine its center of grav¬ 
ity ; but, as I am a Christian priest, I solemnly declare that 
I grieve only for my flock, and raise my feeble voice for no 
other purpose than that of scaring the wolf from the fold : to 
be angry, as Pope says, would be to revenge the faults of 
others upon ourselves; but I am not angry, Mr. Seymour; I 
am only vexed, sorely vexed.” 

“ Take it not thus to heart, my dear vicar,” replied his con- 
. soling friend; “ ‘ Solve metusj as your poet has it. Science, 
I admit, is both the Pallas and Pandora of mankind; its 
abuse may certainly prove mischievous, but its sober and 
well-timed application cannot fail to increase the happiness 
of every class of mankind, as well as to advance and improve 
every branch of the mechanical arts: so thoroughly am I 
satisfied upon this point, that I shall subscribe to the pro¬ 
posed society with infinite satisfaction.” 

3 * 



30 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Mr. Seymour! Mr. Seymour! youjpiow not what you do. 
Would you scatter the seeds of insubordination? manure the 
weeds of infidelity? fabricate a battering-ram to demolish 
our holy church ? Such, indeed, must be the effect of. your 
Utopian scheme; for truly may I exclaim with the immortal 
Maro— 

.... in nostros fabricata est machina mm-os.”* 

“ Come, come, my good friend, all this is declamation with- 
aut argument,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Without argument! Many are the sad instances which 
I could adduce in proof of the evil effects which have already 
accrued from this mistaken system. I am not in the habit, 
sir, of dealing in empty assertion; already has the aforesaid 
Tom Plank ventured to question the classical knowledge of 
his spiritual pastor, and, as I understand, has openly avowed 
himself, at the sixpenny club, as my rival in antiquarian 
pursuits.” 

“And why should he not?” said the mischievous Mr. Sey¬ 
mour; “I warrant you he already possesses many an old 
saw ; ay, and of a very great age, too, if we may judge from 
the loss of its teeth” 

During this remonstrance, Mr. Twaddleton had been occu¬ 
pied in whirling round his steel watch-chain with convulsive 
rapidity, and, after a short pause, he burst out into the fol¬ 
lowing exclamation: 

“ Worthy sir! if you persist in asserting that a man whose 
occupation is to plane deal- boards, is prepared to dive into 
the sacred mysteries of antiquity, I shall next expect to hear 
that—” 

“ That your friend the carpenter knows a good dealf cried ' 
Mr. Seymour, interrupting the vicar; that he is a gramma¬ 
rian, for he mends stiles ; a wit, since he is a clever hand at 
railing ; and as to his antiquarian pretensions, compare them 
with your own; you rescue saws from the dust , while he 
obtains dust from his saws” 

* “ An engine’s raised to batter dowu onr ■walls.”— J&n. ii. 46. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


31 


“ What madness has seized my unfortunate friend ? 

Infelix! quse tanta animum dementia cepit ? * 

as Virgil has it. But let it pass, let it pass, Mr. Seymour; 
my profession has taught me to bear with humility and 
patience the contempt and revilings of my brethren; I for¬ 
give Tom Plank for his presumption, as, in that case, I alone 
am the sufferer; but I say to you, that envy, trouble, dis¬ 
content, strife, and poverty, will be the fruits of the seeds you 
would scatter. I verily believe, that unless this ‘march of 
intellect,’ as it has been termed, is speedily checked, Overton, 
in less than twelve months, will become a deserted village; 
for there is scarcely a tradesman who is not already distracted 
by some visionary scheme of scientific improvement, that 
leads to the neglect of their occupations, and the dissipation 
of the honest earnings which their more prudent fathers had 
accumulated; ‘Meliorapii docuereparentesj as the poet has 
it. What think you of Sam Corkington, who proposes to 
erect an apparatus in the crater of Mount Vesuvius, in order 
to supply every city on the continent with heat and light; 
or of Billy Spooner, who is about to establish a dairy at 
Spitzbergen, that he may furnish all Europe with ice-cream 
from the milk of whales; or of Tom Pipes, who has actually 
prepared a prospectus for conveying music into our houses 
by resonant tubes issuing from a central orchestra, just as 
water and gas are laid on to our dwellings ? * 0, viveret 

Democritus P ” 

“I readily admit,” said Mr. Seymour, “that five-and- 
twenty years ago I might at once have denounced such 
schemes as the phantoms of a disordered brain; but in these 
days, when science has realized the fairy wonders of romance, 
and the productions of the mechanist and electrician have 
actually surpassed the wild imaginings of the poet, when we 
have engaged the lightning tb carry our messages, and the 
sun to paint our portraits, we must pause, my dear vicar, 


* “ What fury’s seized my friend ?”— ^En. v. 465. 




32 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


before we reject any proposition, however startling, as being 
absurd and impracticable.” 

The vicar, however, was not to be so appeased, and was 
preparing to proceed with an JEneid of woes , when the epio 
thread was suddenly snapped asunder by the explosion of a 
most audacious pun, which, although it turned the direction, 
did not diminish the violence, of the vicar’s indignation. 

“Mr. Seymour,” exclaimed the incensed gentleman, “I 
perceive you are determined to meet my remonstrances with 
ridicule; when I had hoped to bring an argument incapable 
of refutation, ‘ Turn mrice illudunt pastes] as Virgil has it.” 

“Pray, allow me to ask,” said Mr. Seymour, “whether 
my puns or your quotations better merit that title?” 

“ That you should compare the vile practice of punning 
with the elegant and refined habit of conveying our ideas by 
classic symbols, does indeed surprise and disturb me. Pope 
has said that words are^the counters by which men repre¬ 
sent their thoughts; the plebeian,” continued the vicar, 
“ selects base metal for their construction, while the scholar 
forms them of gold and gems, dug from the richest mines of 
antiquity. But to what vile purpose does the punster pros¬ 
titute such counters! Mot for the interchange of ideas, 
but, like the juggler, to deceive and astonish by acts of 
legerdemain.” 

“ How fortunate is it that you had not lived in the reign 
of King James?” remarked Mi*. Seymour; “for that singular 
monarch, as you may perhaps remember, made very few 
bishops who had not thus signalized themselves.” 

“ To poison our ears by quibbles and quirks did well be¬ 
come him who sought to deceive our senses and blind our 
reason—the patron of puns and the believer in witchcraft 
were suitably united,” replied the vicar. 

“Well, as this is a subject upon which it is not likely we 
should agree, I will pass to another, where I hope to be more 
successful; I trust I shall induce you to view with more 
complacency my project of teaching philosophy by the aid 
of toys and sports.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


33 


“ Mr. Seymour, the proposal of instructing children in the 
principles of natural philosophy is really too visionary to 
require calm discussion; and can he equaled only in absur¬ 
dity by the method you propose for carrying it into effect. 
Verily thou art a schoolmaster in sheep’s clothing.” 

“ Come, come, my dear vicar, pray chain up your preju¬ 
dices, and let your kind spirit loose for half an hour: let me 
beg that you will so far indulge me as to listen patiently to 
the plan by which it is my intention to turn sport into sci¬ 
ence, or, in other words, toys into instruments of philo¬ 
sophical instruction.” 

“And is it then possible,” said the vicar in a tone of suppli¬ 
cation, “ that you can seriously entertain such a wild, and, I 
might add, kill-joy scheme? Would you pursue the luckless 
urchin from the schoolroom into the very playground, with 
your unrelenting tyranny ? a sanctuary which the most rigid 
pedagogue has hitherto held inviolable. Is the buoyant 
spirit—so forcibly, though perhaps necessarily, repressed dur¬ 
ing the hours of discipline—to .have no interval for its free 
and uncontrolled expansion? Your science, methinks, Mr. 
Seymour, might have taught you a wiser lesson; for you 
must well know that the most elastic body will lose that 
property by being constantly kept in a state of tension.” 

“A fine specimen of sophistry, upon my word, which 
would doubtless raise every nursery-governess and doting 
grandmother in open rebellion against me; but let me add, 
that it ill becomes a man of liberal and enlarged ideas, to 
suffer his opinions to be the sport of mere words; for, that 
our present difference is an affair of words, and of words 
only, I will undertake to prove to the satisfaction of any 
unprejudiced person. Play and work—amusement and in¬ 
struction—toys and tasks, are invariably, hut most unjustifi¬ 
ably, employed as words of contrast and opposition—an 
error which has arisen from the indistinct and very indefinite 
ideas which we attach to such words. If the degree of men¬ 
tal exertion be said to constitute the difference between play 
and work, I am quite sure that the definition would be vio- 




34 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


lated in the first illustration; for, let me ask, when do hoys 
exert so much thought as in carrying into effect then* holiday 
schemes ? The distinction might more properly he made to 
turn upon the irksome feelings which may he supposed to 
attend the drudgery of study, when its promised objects 
have no direct sympathies in the imagination of the student. 
But this can never happen except from a vicious system of 
education that excludes the operations of thought; a school 
that locks in the body, while it locks out the mind. Depend 
upon it, Mr. Twaddleton, that the human mind, whether in 
youth or manhood, is ever gratified by the acquisition of 
information; every occupation soon cloys, unless it he sea¬ 
soned by this stimulant. Is not the child idle and miserable 
in a nursery full of playthings ? and to what expedient does 
he instinctively fly to relieve his ennui f Why, he breaks his 
toys to pieces, as Miss Edgeworth justly observes, not from 
the love of mischief, but from the hatred of idleness, or rather 
from an innate thirst after knowledge; and he becomes, as it 
were, an enterprising adventurer, and opens for himself a 
new source of pleasure and amusement, in exploring the 
mechanism of them several parts. Think you then, Mr. 
Twaddleton, that any assistance which might be offered the 
boy, under such circumstances, would be received by him as 
a task ? Certainly not. The acquisition of knowledge, then, 
instead of detracting from, must heighten the amusement of 
toys; and if I have succeeded in convincing you of this 
truth, my object is accomplished. How greatly,” continued 
he, “do parents and preceptors err in mistaking for mis¬ 
chief, or wanton idleness, all the little maneuvers of young 
persons, which are frequently practical inquiries to confirm 
or refute doubts which are passing in their minds! When 
the aunt of James Watt reproved the boy for his idleness, and 
desired him to take a book or employ himself usefully, and 
not be taking off the lid of the kettle and putting it on again, 
and holding now a cup and now a silver spoon over the steam, 
how little was she aware he was investigating a problem 
which was to lead to the greatest of human inventions!” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


35 . 


Tims did Mr. Seymour, like an able general, assail his ad¬ 
versary on his own ground; he drove him, as it were, into a 
corner, and by seizing the only pass through which he could 
make his escape, forced him to surrender at discretion. 

“Why, truly,” replied the vicar, after a short pause, “I am 
ready to admit that there is much good sense in your obser¬ 
vations ; and if the scientific instruction upon these occasions 
be not carried so far as to puzzle the boy, I am inclined to 
withdraw my opposition.” 

“Therein lies the whole secret; I do not offer you the 
black and bitter root of the 4 Moly ,’ but its white, sweet, and 
agreeable flower.* When an occupation agreeably interests 
the understanding, imagination, or passions of children, it is 
what is commonly understood by the term play or sport; 
whereas that which is not accompanied with such associ¬ 
ations, and yet may be necessary for their future welfare, is, 
properly enough, designated as a task .” 

“ I like your distinction,” observed the vicar. 

“ Then may I hope that you will indulge me so far as to 
listen to the scheme by which it is my intention to turn 
4 Sport into Science,’ or, in other words, Toys into instru¬ 
ments of Philosophical Instruction ?' 1 ' 1 

The vicar smiled and nodded assent. 

Mr. Seymour proceeded—“ In the first place, I would give 
the boy some general notions with regard to the properties 
of matter, such as its gravitation, vis inertiae, elasticity, &c. 

* Thus, while he spoke, the sovereign plant he draw 
Where on th’ all-bearing earth unmark’d it grew 
And shed its nature, and its wond’rous power; 

Black was the root, but milky white the flower, 

Moly the name, by mortals hard to find, 

But all is easy to the ethereal mind; 

This Hermes gave- Odyss. x. 

Hermes here allegorically represents Instruction, and Moly the plant of 
Knowledge—whose black and hitter root symbolizes the irksome commence¬ 
ment of study, or in the words of Plato, “ the beginning of instruction, which 
is always accompanied with reluctance and pain.” 

It is scarcely necessary to apprise the young botanist that this said Moly is 
to be found only in poetical ground. 



36 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


What apparatus can he required for such a purpose, beyond 
some of the more simple toys ? Indeed, I will undertake to 
demonstrate the ihree grand laws of motion by a game at 
ball; while the composition and resolution of forces may be 
beautifully exemplified during a game of marbles, especially 
that of 1 ring-taw;’ but in order that you may more clearly 
comprehend the capability of my plan, allow me to enumer¬ 
ate the various philosophical principles which are involved in 
the operation of the several more popular toys and sports. 
We will commence with the ball; which will illustrate the 
nature and phenomena of elasticity , as it leaps from the 
ground;—of rotatory motion , while it runs along its surface ; 
—of reflected motion , and of the angles of incidence and 
reflection , as it rebounds from the wall; and of projectiles , as 
it is whirled through the air; at the same time the cricket- 
bat may serve to explain the center of percussion. A game 
at marbles may be made subservient to the same purposes, 
and will further assist us in conveying clear ideas upon the 
subject of the collision of elastic and non-elastic bodies , and 
of their velocities and direction after impact. The composi¬ 
tion and resolution of forces may be explained at the same 
time. The nature of elastic springs will require no other 
apparatus for its elucidation than Jack-in-the-box and the 
numerous leaping-frogs and cats with which the play-room 
abounds. The leathern sucker will exemplify the nature of 
cohesion , and the effect of water in filling up those inequali¬ 
ties by which contiguous surfaces are deprived of their attrac¬ 
tive power; it will, at the same time, demonstrate the nature 
of a vacuum , and the influence of atmospher ic pressure. The 
squirt will afford a further illustration of the same views, and 
will furnish a practical proof of the weight of the atmo¬ 
sphere in raising a column of water. The theory of the 
pump will necessarily follow. The greater elasticity of air 
compared with that of water, I shall be able to show by the 
amusing exhibition of the ‘ Bottle Imps? ” 

“ Bottle Imps!— Acheronta movebis P ” muttered the vicar. 

Mr. Seymour continued—“ The various balancing toys will 



MADE SCIENCE IN EAENEST. 


37 


elucidate the nature of the center of gravity, point of suspen¬ 
sion, and line of direction; the see-saw, rocking-horse, and 
the operation of walking on stilts, will here come in aid of 
our explanations. The combined effects of momentum and 
a change in the center of gravity of a body may be beauti¬ 
fully exemplified by the action of the Chinese Tumblers. 
The sling will demonstrate the existence and effect of cen¬ 
trifugal force , and humble and finite as the alliance may 
seem, it will satisfactorily explain the motions of those celes¬ 
tial orbs that revolve to all eternity around a central sun. 
The top* and tee-totum will prove the power of whirling 
motion to support the axis of a body in an unaltered posi¬ 
tion. The trundling of the hoop will accomplish the same 
and other objects; as will also the whirling of the quoit , 
with the additional advantage of not having its motions im¬ 
peded by contact with the ground. The game of bilboquet , 
or cup and ball, will show the influence of rotatory motion 
in steadying the rectilinear path of a spherical body, whence 
the theory of the rifle-gun may be deduced. For conveying 
some elementary ideas of the doctrine of oscillation , there is 
the swing. The flight of the arrow will not only elucidate the 
principles of projectiles , but will explain the force of the air 
in producing rotatory motion by its impact on oblique sur¬ 
faces 1 : the revolution of the shuttlecock may be shown to 
depend upon the same revolution of forces. Then comes the 
kite, one of the most instructive and amusing of all the pas¬ 
times-of youth,—the favorite toy of Newton in his boyish 
days :f—its ascent at once develops the theory of-the com- 

* “ The motion of the top is a matter of the greatest importance. It is appli¬ 
cable to the elucidation of some of the greatest phenomena in nature.”— Airy's 
Lecture at Ipswich. 

+ Sir Isaac Newton is said to have been much attached to philosophical 
sports when a boy; he was the first to introduce paper kites at Grantham, 
where he was at school. He took pains to find out their proper proportions 
and figure, and the proper place for fixing the string to them. He made lan¬ 
terns of paper crimpled, which he used to go to school by in winter mornings 
with a candle, and he tied them to the tail of his kites in a dark night, which 
at first frightened the country people exceedingly, who took his candles for 
comets.— Thompson's Hist, of R. S. 


4 



38 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


position and resolution of forces, and explains various sub¬ 
ordinate principles which I shall endeavor to describe when 
we arrive at the subject. The seesaw will unfold the general 
principle upon which the Mechanical Powers are founded; 
and the boy may thus be easily led to the theory of the lever, 
by being shown how readily he can balance the heavier 
weight of a man by riding on the longer arm of a plank. 
The theory of colors may be pointed out to him as he blows 
his soap-bubbles;* an amusement which will, at the same 
time, convince him that the ah* must exert a pressure equally 
in all directions. For explaining the theory of sound, there 
are the whistle, the humming-top, the whiz-gig, the pop-gun, 
the bull-roarer, and sundry other amusements well known in 
the playground; but it is not my intention, at present to 
enumerate all the toys which may be rendered capable of 
affording philosophical instruction; I merely wish to con¬ 
vince you that my plan is not quite so chimerical as you were 
at first inclined to believe. I do not profess to place the 
head of Laertes on the shoulders of Telemachus, nor, like * 
Friar Bacon, to teach the science of the age in half a year; 
but I do engage to teach the young student those rudiments 
by which, with diligence and a willing mind, he may ulti¬ 
mately acquire it.” 

“ Upon my word,” said the vicar, “ no squirrel ever hopped 
from branch to branch with more agility; you are the very 
counterpart of Cornelius Scriblerus; but I must confess that 
your scheme is plausible, very plausible, and I shall no longer 
refuse to attend you in the progress of its execution. 

Cedo equidem, nec, nate, tibi comes ire recuso,t 
as Virgil has it.” 

* The colors which glitter on a soap-bubble are the immediate consequence 
of a principle the most important from the variety of phenomena it explains, 
and the most beautiful from its simplicity and compendious neatness in the 
whole science of Optics.— Rerschel's Preliminary Discourse. In a future 
part of tnis work it will be seen that the soap-bubble enabled Faraday to 
carry out a most important series of experiments. 

t “ I yield, my son, and no longer refuse to become your companion.” 

JEn. ii. 704. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


39 


Mr. Seymour, however, saw very plainly that, although 
the vicar thus withdrew his opposition, he was nevertheless 
very far from embarking in the cause with enthusiasm, and 
that, upon the principle already discussed, he would perform 
his part rather as a task than a pastime. For was the line 
which Mr. Twaddleton had quoted from the ASneid calcu¬ 
lated to efface such an impression. It was true that, like 
Anchises, he no longer refused to accompany him in his 
expedition; but, if the comparison were to run parallel, it 
was evident that, like iEneas, he would have to carry him as 
a dead weight on his shoulders. This difficulty, however, 
was speedily surmounted by an expedient, with which the 
reader will become acquainted by the recital of what followed. 

u I rejoice greatly,” said Mr. Seymour, “ that we have at 
length succeeded in enlisting you into our service; without 
your able assistance I fear that my instruction would be 
extremely imperfect; for you must know, my dear sir, that 
I am ambitious of making Tom an antiquary as well as a phi¬ 
losopher, and I look to you for a history of the several toys 
which I shall have occasion to introduce, as well as for the 
allusions made to them in the classics.” 

This propitiatory sentence had its desired effect. 

“Most cheerfully shall I comply with your wishes,” ex¬ 
claimed the delighted vicar; “and I can assure you, sir, that 
with regard to several of the more popular toys and pastimes, 
there is much very curious and interesting lore.” 

Mr. Seymour had upon this occasion succeeded in opening 
the heart of the vicar, just as a skillful mechanic would pick 
a patent lock, who, instead of forcing it by direct violence, 
seeks to discover the secret spring to which all its various 
movements are subservient. 

“To-morrow, then,” cried the vicar, in a voice of great 
exultation, “we will commence our career, from which I 
anticipate the highest satisfaction and advantage; in the 
mean time,” continued he, “I will refresh my memory upon 
certain points touching the antiquities of these said pastimes, 
or, as we used to say at college, get up the subject. I will 



40 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


also press into our service my friend and neighbor Jeremy 
Prybabel, whose etymological’ knowledge will greatly assist 
us in tracing the origin of many of the words used in our 
sports, which is frequently not very obvious.” 

Mr. Seymour cast an intelligible glance at his wife, who 
was no less surprised at the sudden change in the vicar’s sen¬ 
timents, than she was pleased with the skill and address by 
which it had been accomplished. 









MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST 


41 



CHAPTER II. 


ON GRAVITATION.-"WEIGHT.-THE VELOCITY OF FALLING BODIES.- 

AT WHAT ALTITUDE A BODY WOULD LOSE ITS GRAVITY.-THE 

TOWER OF BABEL.-THE KNOWN VELOCITY OF SOUND AFFORDS 

THE MEANS OF CALCULATING DISTANCES.-THE SOUND OF THE 

WOODMAN’S AXE.-AN EXCURSION TO OVERTON WELL.-AN EXPERI¬ 
MENT TO ASCERTAIN ITS DEPTH.—A VISIT TO THE VICARAGE.- 

THE MAGIC GALLERY.-RETURN TO THE LODGE. 


It was about two o’clock, when Mr. Twaddleton, in com¬ 
pany with Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, joined the children on the 
lawn. 

“ Tom,” said the father, u are you prepared to commence 
\he proposed examination?” 

“ Quite ready, papa.” 

u Then you must first inform me,” said Mr. Seymour, taking 

4 * 

















42 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


the ball out of Rosa’s hand, “why this ball falls to the 
ground as soon as I withdraw from it the support of my 
hand.” 

“ Because every heavy body that is not supported must of 
course fall.” 

“ And every light one also, my dear; but that is no answer 
to my question: you merely assert the fact, without explain¬ 
ing the reason.” 

“ Oh! now I understand you; it is owing to the force of 
gravity; the earth attracts the ball, and the consequence is 
that they both come in contact; is not that right?” 

“ Certainly; but if the earth attract the ball, it is equally 
true that the ball must attract the earth; for you have, doubt¬ 
less, learned that bodies mutually attract each other; tell me, 
therefore, why the earth should not rise to meet the ball?” 

“ Because the earth is so much larger and heavier than the 
ball.” 

“It is, doubtless, much larger; and since the force of 
attraction is in proportion to the mass, or quantity of matter, 
you cannot be surprised at not perceiving the earth rise to 
meet the ball, the attraction of the latter being so infinitely 
small, in comparison with that of the former, as to render its 
effect wholly nugatory; but, with regard to the earth being 
heavier than the ball, what will you say when I tell you that, 
in the ordinary acceptation of the term, it cannot be said 
to have any weight ?” 

“No weight at all?” 

Tom begged that his father would explain to him how it 
could possibly be that the earth should not possess any weight. 

“Weight, my dear boy, you will readily understand, can 
be nothing more than an effect arising ^out of the resisted 
attraction of a body for the earth: you have just stated that 
all bodies have a tendency to fall, in consequence of the at¬ 
traction of gravitation; but if they be supported, and pre¬ 
vented from approaching the earth, either by the hand or any 
other appropriate means, this tendency will be felt, and is 
called weight .” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


43 


Tom understood this explanation, and observed, that “ since 
attraction was always in proportion to the quantity of mat¬ 
ter, so, of course, a larger body must be more powerfully 
attracted, or be heavier, than a smaller one.” 

“Magnitude, or size, my dear, has nothing whatever to do 
with quantity of matter: will not a small piece of lead weigh 
more than a large piece of sponge ? In the one case, the par¬ 
ticles of matter may be supposed to be packed in a smaller 
compass; in the other, there must exist a greater number of 
pores or interstices.” 

“I understand all you have said,” observed Louisa, “and 
yet I am unable to comprehend why the earth cannot be said 
to have any weight.” 

“Cannot you discover,” answered Mr. Seymour, “that 
since the earth has nothing to attract it, it cannot have any 
attraction to resist, and consequently, according to the ordi¬ 
nary acceptation of the tefm, it cannot be correctly said to 
possess weight? although I confess that, when viewed in 
relation to the solar system, a question will arise upon this 
subject, since it is attracted by the sun.” 

The children declared themselves satisfied with this expla¬ 
nation, and Mr. Seymour proceeded to put another question: 
“ Since,” continued he, “ you now understand the nature of 
that force by which bodies fall to the earth, can you tell me 
the degree of velocity with which they fall?” 

Tom asserted that the weight of the body, or its quantity 
of matter, and its distance from the surface of the earth, must, 
in every case, determine that circumstance; but Mr. Sey¬ 
mour excited his surprise by saying that it would not be 
influenced by either of those conditions; he informed them, 
for instance, that a cannon-ball and a marble would fall 
through the same number of feet in a given time, and that, 
whether the experiment were tried from the top of a house 
or from the summit of St. Paul’s, the same result would be 
obtained. 

“I am quite sure,” exclaimed Tom, “ that in the Conversa¬ 
tions on Natural Philosophy, it is positively stated, that 



u 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


attraction is always in proportion to the quantity of mat¬ 
ter .” 

“Yes,” observed Louisa, “ and it is moreover asserted, that 
tbe att/raction diminishes as the distances increase .” 

Mr. Seymour said, that he perceived the error under which 
his children labored, and that he would endeavor to remove 
it. “ You cannot, my dears,” continued he, “ divest your 
minds of that erroneous but natural feeling, that a body 
necessarily falls to the ground without the exertion of any 
force: whereas, the greater the quantity of matter, the greater 
must be the force exerted to bring it to the earth: for in¬ 
stance, a substance which weighs a hundred pounds will 
thus require just ten times more force than one which only 
weighs ten pounds; and hence it must follow, that both will 
come to the ground at the same moment; for although, in 
the one case, there is ten times more matter, there is, at the 
same time, ten times more attraction to overcome its resist¬ 
ance ; for you have already admitted that the force of attrac 
tion is always in proportion to the quantity of matter. Now 
let us only for an instant, for the sake merely of argument, 
suppose that attraction had been a force acting without any 
regard to quantity of matter, is it> not evident that, in such a 
case, the body containing the largest quantity would be the 
slowest in falling to the earth?” 

“ I understand you, papa,” cried Tom: “ if an empty 
wagon traveled four miles an hour, and were afterward so 
loaded as to have its weight doubled, it could only travel at 
the rate of two miles in the same period, provided that in 
both cases the horses exerted the same strength.” 

“Exactly,” said Mr. Seymour; “and to follow up your 
illustration, which is not a bad one, it is only necessary to 
state, that Nature, like a considerate master, always appor¬ 
tions the number of horses to the burden that is to be 
moved, so that her loads, whatever may be their weight, 
always travel at the same rate; or, to express the fact in 
philosophical instead of figurative language, gravitation, or 
the force of the earth’s attraction, always increases as the 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


45 


quantity of matter, and, consequently, that heavy and light 
bodies, when dropped together from the same altitude, must 
come to the ground at the same instant of time.” 

Louisa had listened with great attention to this explana¬ 
tion ; and although she thoroughly understood the argument, 
yet it appeared to her at variance with so many facts with 
which she was acquainted, that she could not give implicit 
credence to it. 

u I think, papa,” said the archly smiling girl, “ I could over¬ 
turn this fine argument by a very simple experiment.” 

“Indeed, Miss Skeptic: then pray proceed; and I think 
we shall find that the more strenuously you oppose it the 
more powerful it will become; but let us hear your objec¬ 
tions.” 

“ I shall only,” replied she, “ drop a shilling and a piece of 
paper from my bed-room window upon the lawn, and request 
that you will observe which of them reaches the ground first; 
if I am not much mistaken, you will find that the coin will' 
strike the earth before the paper has performed half its jour¬ 
ney.” 

Tom appeared perplexed, and cast an inquiring look at his 
father. 

“ Come,” said Mr. Seymour, “ I will perform this experi¬ 
ment myself, and endeavor to satisfy the doubts of our young 
skeptic; but I must first take the opportunity to ^>serve that 
I am never better pleased than when you attempt to raise 
difficulties in my way, and I hope you will always Express 
them without reserve.” 

“ Here, then, is a penny-piece; and here,” said Tom, “ is 
a piece of paper.” 

“ Which,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ we will cut into a 
corresponding shape and size.” This having been accom¬ 
plished, he held the coin in one hand and the paper disk in 
the other, and dropped them at the same instant. 

“There! there!” cried Louisa, with an air of triumph; 
“ the coin reached the ground long before the paper.” 

Mr. Seymour allowed that there was o distinct interval in 



46 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


favor of the penny-piece; and he proceeded to explain the 
cause of it. He stated that the result was not contrary to 
the law of gravitation, since it arose from the interference of 
a foreign body, the air, to the resistance of which it was to 
he attributed: and he desired them to consider the particles 
of a falling body as being under the influence of two opposing 
forces,—gravity and the air’s resistance. Louisa argued, 
that the air could only act on the surface of a body, and as 
this was equal in both cases (the size of the paper being exact¬ 
ly the same as that of the penny-piece), she could not see why 
the resistance of the air should not also be equal in both cases. 

“ I admit,” said Mr. Seymour, “ that the air can only act 
upon the surface of a falling body, and tins is the very reason 
of the paper meeting with more resistance than the coin; 
for the latter, from its greater density, must contain many 
more particles than the paper, and upon which the air cannot 
possibly exert any action; whereas almost every particle of 
the paper may be said to be exposed to its resistance, the fall 
of the latter must therefore be more retarded than that of 
the former body.’ ’ 

At this explanation Louisa’s doubts began to clear off, and 
they were ultimately dispelled on Mr. Seymour performing a 
modification of the above experiment in the following man¬ 
ner. He placed the disk of paper in close contact with the 
upper part of the coin, and, in this position, dropped them 
from his hand. They both reached the ground at the same 
instant. 

“Are you now satisfied, my dear Louisa?” asked her fa¬ 
ther : “ you perceive that, by placing the paper in contact 
with the coin, I screened it from the action of the air, and 
the result is surely conclusive.” 

“ Many thanks to you, dear papa; I am perfectly satisfied, 
and shall feel less confident for the future.” Tom was de¬ 
lighted ; for, as he said, he could now understand why John’s 
parachute descended so deliberately to the ground ; he could 
also explain why feathers, and other light bodies, floated in 
the air, “ Well then,” said Mr. Seymour, “ having settled 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


47 


this knotty point, let ns proceed to the other question, viz.: 
‘ that a body will fall with the same velocity, during a given 
number of feet, from the ball of St. Paul’s as from the top of 
a house.’ You maintain, I believe, that, since the attraction 
of the earth for a body diminishes as its distance from it in¬ 
creases,* a substance at a great height ought to fall more 
slowly than one which is dropped from a less altitude.” 

Neither Tom nor Louisa could think otherwise. Mr. Sey¬ 
mour told them that, in theory , they were perfectly correct, 
but that, since attraction acted from the center, and not 
from the surface of the earth, the difference of its force could 
not be discovered at the small elevations to which they could 
have access: “for what,” said he, “ can a few hundred feet 
be in comparison with four thousand miles, which is the dis¬ 
tance from the center to the surface of our globe? You 
must therefore perceive that, in all ordinary calculations re¬ 
specting the velocity of falling bodies, we may safely exclude 
such a consideration.” 

“ But suppose,” said Tom, “ it were possible to make the 
experiment a thousand miles above the earth, would not the 
diminished effect of gravity be discovered in that case ?” 

“ Undoubtedly; indeed it would be sensible at a much less 
distance: for instance, if a lump of lead, weighing a thousand 
pounds, were carried up only four miles, it would be found to 
have lost two pounds of its weight.” 

“This discussion,” observed Mr. Twaddleton, “remindsme 
of a problem that was once proposed at Cambridge, to find 
the elevation to which the Tower of Babel could have been 
raised, before the stones would have entirely lost their gravity.” 

“Its.solution,” said Mr. Seymour, “would require a con- 


* Gravity, or the tendency of a body to approach the earth, is inversely as 
the square of the distance; that is, if a body be attracted by the earth at a 
certain distance, with a certain force, and be afterwards removed to twice the 
distance, it will now be attracted not half as much, but only one-fourth as 
much as it was before; and if it be removed to three times the first distance, 
it will be attracted, not one-third as much, but one-ninth, as much as before; 
four being the square of two, and nine the square of three ; and so on. 




48 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


sideration which Tom could not possibly understand at pres¬ 
ent, viz., the influence of the centrifugal force” 

“ I am fully aware of it,” replied the vicar, “ and in order 
to appreciate that influence, it would, of course, be necessary 
to take into account the latitude of the place; hut, if my 
memory serves me, I think that under the latitude of 30°, 
which, I believe, is nearly that of the plains of Mesopotamia, 
the height would be somewhere about twenty-four thousand 
miles.” 

Mr. Seymour now desired Tom to inform him, since all 
bodies fall with the same velocity, what that velocity might be. 

“ Sixteen feet in a second, papa. I have just remembered 
that I had a dispute with a schoolfellow upon that subject, 
and in which, thanks to Mrs. Marcet, I came off victorious, 
and won twelve marbles.” 

“ Then let me tell you, my fine fellow, that, unless your 
answer exclusively related to th q first second of time, you did 
not win the marbles fairly; for, since the force of gravity is 
continually.acting, so is the velocity of a falling body con¬ 
tinually increasing, or it has what is termed an ‘ accelerating 
velocity it has accordingly been ascertained by accurate ex¬ 
periments, that a body descending from a considerable height 
falls sixteen feet, as you say, in the first second of time; ‘ but 
three times sixteen in the next; five times sixteen in the third; 
and seven times sixteen in the fourth; and so on, continually 
increasing according to the odd numbers, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, &c.: 
so that you perceive,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ by observing 
the number of seconds which a stone requires to descend from 
any height, we can discover the altitude or depth of the place 
in question.” 

Louisa and Fanny, who had been attentively listening to 
their father’s explanation, interchanged a smile of satisfaction, 
and, pulling Tom toward them, whispered something which 
was inaudible to the rest of the party. 

“ Come, now,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, u I perceive by your 
looks that you have something to ask of me: is Louisa skep¬ 
tical again?” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


49 


“ Oh dear no,” replied Tom; “ Louisa merely observed that 
we might now he able to find out the depth of the village 
well, about which we have all been very curious; for the gar¬ 
dener has told us that it is the deepest in the kingdom, and 
was dug more than a hundred years ago.” 

Mr. Seymour did not believe that it was the deepest in the 
kingdom, although he knew that its depth was considerable; 
and he said that if Mr. Twaddleton had no objection, they 
should walk to it, and make the proposed experiment. 

“ Objection! my dear Mr. Seymour, when do I ever object 
to afford pleasure to my little playmates, provided its in¬ 
dulgence be harmless ? much less when it is associated with 
instruction. The old adage tells us that ‘ Truth lies at the 
bottom of a well,’ so let us proceed at once to invade her re¬ 
treat, and extort her secrets; and on our return I hope you 
will favor me with a visit at the vicarage. I have some an¬ 
tiquities which I am anxious to exhibit to yourself and Mrs. 
Seymour.” Tom and Eosa each took the vicar’s hand, and 
Mr. and Mrs. Seymour followed with Louisa and Fanny. The 
village well was about half a mile distant; the road to it led 
through a delightful shady lane, at the top of which stood the 
vicarage-house. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour and her daughters 
had fingered in their way to collect botanical specimens; and 
when they had come up to Tom and the vicar, they found them 
seated on the trunk of a newly felled oak in deep discourse. 

“What interests you, Tom?” said Mr. Seymour, who per¬ 
ceived, by the inquiring and animated countenance of the boy, 
that his attention had been excited by some occurrence. 

“ I have been watching the woodman, and have been sur¬ 
prised that the sound of his hatchet was not heard until some 
time after he had struck the tree.” 

“And has not Mr. Twaddleton explained to you the reason 
of it?” 

“ He has,” replied Tom, “ and he tells me that it is owing 
to sound traveling so much more slowly than fight.” 

“ You are quite right; and, as we are upon an expedition 
for the purpose of measuring depths, it may not be amiss to 

5 



50 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


inform you that this fact furnishes another method of calcu- 
lating ( .distances.” 

The party seated themselves upon the oak. and Mr. Seymour 
proceeded:—“The stroke of the axe is seen at the moment 
the woodman makes it, on account of the immense velocity 
with which light travels; (1*) but the noise of the blow will 
not reach the ear until some time has elapsed, the period vary¬ 
ing, of course, in proportion to the distance, because sound 
moves only at the rate of 1142 feet in a second, or about 13 
miles in a minute: so that you perceive, by observing the 
time that elapses between the fall of the hatchet and the 
sound produced by it, we can ascertain the distance of the 
object.” 

Mr. Seymour fixed his eye attentively on the woodman, 
and, after a short pause, declared that he was about half a 
quarter of a mile distant. 

“ "Why, how could you discover that ?” cried Louisa; “ you 
had not any watch in your hand.” 

“ But you might have perceived that I placed my finger on 
my wrist, and, as my pulse beats about 75 strokes in a minute,! 
I was able to form a tolerable estimate of the interval, although 
I confess that it is a very rough experiment, but sufficiently 
accurate for the purpose of illustration. In the same manner, 
we can readily ascertain the distance of a thunder-cloud, or 
that of a vessel at sea firing a cannon. If we do not hear the 
thunder till half a minute after we see the lightning, we are 
to conclude the cloud to be at the distance of six miles and a 
half. But let us proceed to the well.” 

After a walk of a few minutes, the party reached the place 
of destination. On then* arrival, Mr. Seymour inquired who 
would count the time. 

“ Be that office mine,” said'Mr. Twaddleton, as he extracted 
a large silver time-piece from the dark abyss of his watch- 
pocket; “ and let Tom,” continued he, “find a pebble.” 

* These.figures refer to the additional notes at the end of the work. 

t The pulse was the measure of time used by Galileo in his celebrated ox 
perimenta. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


51 


w Here is one,” cried Louisa. 

“ Very well: now, then, how will you proceed?” asked Mr. 
Seymour. 

“I shall drop the stone,” replied Tom, “into the well, and 
observe how many seconds it will he before it touches the 
water, and I shall then set down the number of feet it will fall 
in each second, and add up the numbers.” 

“ That,” said Mr. Seymour, “ would certainly accomplish 
your object; but I can give you a neater, as well as a shorter 
rule for performing the sum; you shall, however, first work it 
in your own waybut you have not yet informed me how 
you propose to ascertain the moment at which the stone 
reaches the water.” 

“ By the sound, to be sure, and .you will find that a very 
loud one will be produced.” 

“ If the depth of the well be considerable, such a plan will 
not answer the purpose, since, in that case, there must neces¬ 
sarily be a perceptible interval between the fall of the stone 
and the sound produced by it, as you have just seen exem¬ 
plified by the woodman, which, unless taken into account, 
will vitiate the result.” 

Tom observed that he had not thought of that difficulty, 
and did not know how he could get over it. His father told 
him, that he must look at the surface of the water, and mark 
the moment it was disturbed by the stone. 

“ How, Mr. Twaddleton,” said Mr. Seymour, “ are you 
ready to count the seconds ?” 

“ Quite ready.” 

“ Then drop the stone.” 

“ One,—two, : —three,—four—” 

“ There,” said Tom, “ it touched the water.” 

“ And there, there,” cried several voices, “ what a noise it 
made!” 

“ Facilis descensus Averni” exclaimed the vicar; “the 
stone descended in four seconds.” 

“ How, my boy, make your calculation.” 

Mr. Seymour furnished pencil and paper, and Tom pro- 




52 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


ceeded;—“ Sixteen feet for the first second,—I put that 
down.” 

“Well,” said his father, “and three times sixteen for the 
second?” 

“ Forty-eight ,” cried Tom. 

“ Put it down.” 

“ Five times sixteen for the third ?” 

“ Eighty. ” 

“ Down with it.” 

“And seven times sixteen for the fourth?” 

“ One hundred and twelve .” 

“Now, cast up these numbers,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Two hundred and fifty-six feetfi cried Tom, “is the 
depth of the well.” 

A shout of delight, from the whole juvenile . party an¬ 
nounced the satisfaction which they felt at the success of 
their first experiment in Natural Philosophy. 

Louisa observed, that she could not distinguish any inter¬ 
val between the actual contact of the stone with the water 
and the sound which it produced. 

“At so small a distance as two hundred and fifty-six 
feet,” said her father, “ the interval could not have exceeded 
in duration the fourth part of a second, and was, conse¬ 
quently, imperceptible: we might therefore, in the present 
instance, have accepted the sound as a signal of the stone’s 
arrival at the water, without prejudice to the result of the 
experiment.” 

Mr. Seymour told his son, that the method which he had 
pursued was unobjectionable when the experiment did not 
extend beyond a few seconds; but that if a case occurred in 
which a greater space of time were consumed, he would find 
his plan tedious: “ Now I will give you a general rule that 
will enable you to obtain the answer in a shorter time with¬ 
out the details of addition. ‘ The spaces described by a fall¬ 
ing body increase as the squares of the times increase .’ I 
conclude that you already know that the square of a number 
is the sum obtained by multiplying the number into itself.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


53 


“ Certainly,” answered Tom; “ the square of 4 is 16; that 
of 3, 9, and so on.” 

“ This, then, being the case, you have only to square the 
number of seconds, and then multiply that product by 16, 
being the space described by the falling body in the first sec¬ 
ond, and you will have the required answer: apply this rule 
to the present case; the stone fell to the bottom in four sec¬ 
onds ; square this number, 4x4 = 16; multiply this by 16, 
and we obtain 256.” 

“That,” said Tom, “is certainly much more simple than 
my method.” 

“And it has the advantage,” continued Mr. Seymour, “of 
being more portable for the memory.” 

“ Should any of the villagers observe us,” said Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour, “ they will take us for a party of fortune-tellers.” 

“ Of fortune-tellers!” repeated Louisa, with surprise. 

“ Yes, my dear, there is a foolish superstition attached to 
this, and I believe to many other wells in the neighborhood 
of remote villages, that by dropping pebbles into it and ob¬ 
serving whether they produce a loud or only a slight sound, 
and by noticing the number of times they rebound from the 
sides before they reach the bottom, and other absurd distinc¬ 
tions, a person can predict whether good or evil awaits them.” 

Mrs. Seymour now proposed the party’s return to the 
Lodge; but Mr. Twaddleton expressed a hope that they 
would first favor him with a visit at the vicarage; to which 
proposition they readily assented. 

His antiquated residence, mantled in ivy, and shaded by 
cypress, stood on the confines of the churchyard, from which 
his grounds were merely separated by a dwarf hedge of 
sweet-brier and roses; so that the vicar might be said to 
reside amidst the graves of his departed parishioners, and the 
turf-clad heap evinced the influence of his fostering care by a 
grateful return of primroses and violets. 

Around the house the reverend antiquary had arranged 
several precious relics, which were too cumbrous for admis¬ 
sion within its walls; among these was an ancient cross, 

5 * 



54 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


raised upon a platform on four steps, which from the worn 
appearance of the stones had evidently been impressed with 
the foot of many a wandering pilgrim. These moldering 
monuments of ancient days cast a shade of solemnity around 
the dwelling, and announced its inmate as a person of no 
ordinary stamp. 

Annette, the vicar’s trusty servant, had watched the ap¬ 
proach of the squire and his family, and, anticipating the 
honor of a passing visit, was busily engaged in removing the 
checked covers from the cumbrous oaken chairs, and the 
various other bibs and tuckers with which his curiosities 
were invested, when the party entered the study. Lucky 
was it for the vicar’s repose, that the notice had been so 
short, or the tidy housewife would, without doubt, have 
scoured some of the antique commodities, and destroyed a 
crop of sacred verdure, which ages could not have replen¬ 
ished. As matters stood, nothing was left for poor Annette, 
but to defend her character at .the expense of her master, 
who she declared treated her as though she was an old 
witch, whenever she was seen with a broom. 

“ Why, papa,” exclaimed Tom, as he cast his eyes around 
the study, “ all these curiosities have been put up since I went 
to school.” 

“ The boy is right,” said the vicar; “I have only just com¬ 
pleted their arrangement; and I believe,” continued he, 
addressing himself to Mr. Seymour, “that there are several 
rich morsels of antiquity which you have not yet seen: but 
I must, in the first place, introduce my young friends to the 
wonders of my magic gallery; wherein they may converse 
with the spirits of departed emperors, heroes, patriots, sages, 
and beauties;—contemplate, at then* leisure, the counte¬ 
nances of the Alexanders, Caesars, Pompeys, and Trajans;— 
behold a legion of allegorical and airy beings, who have here, 
for the first time, assumed appropriate and substantial forms; 
—examine the models of ancient temples and triumphal 
arches, which, although coeval with the edifices they repre¬ 
sent, are as perfect as at the first moment of their construe- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


55 


tion, while the originals have long since crumbled into dust. 
They shall also see volumes of history, condensed into a space 
of a few inches, and read the substance of a hundred pages 
at a single glance.” 

“How extraordinary!” said Tom: “why, we never read 
any thing more wonderful in our Fairy Tales.” 

“And what renders it more wonderful,” observed the 
vicar, “ is its being all true.” 

So saying, the antiquary took a key of pigmy dimensions 
from the pocket of his waistcoat, and proceeded to a cum¬ 
brous ebony cabinet which stood in a deep recess, and dis¬ 
played an antique structure, and curiously carved allegorical 
devices, in strict unison with that air of mystery with which 
the vicar had thought proper to invest its contents. It was 
supported by gigantic eagles’ claws; its key-hole was sur¬ 
rounded by hissing snakes; while the head of Cerberus, 
which constituted the handle, appeared as if placed to guard 
the entrance. The children were upon the tiptoe of expecta¬ 
tion and impatience—the vicar applied the key with the 
wonder-stirring exclamation of “open sesama!” the lock 
yielded, and the doors flew open. Disappointment and 
chagrin were visibly depicted on the countenances of the 
brothers and sisters. 

m “And so,” exclaimed Tom, “this fine magic gallery turns 
out to be nothing more than a box full of rusty halfpence!” 

“ I am sure,” said Louisa, “ it was quite unnecessary to 
have engaged Cerberus as a sentinel over such rubbish!” 

“Hush!” cried the vicar; “ you talk like one not initiated 
in the mysteries of enchantment: have you not read that 
under its spells the meanest objects have assumed forms of 
splendor and magnificence ?”* 


* In the legends of Scottish superstition, the magic power of imposing upon 
the eye-sight was termed Glamour. 

“ It had much of glamour might: 

Could make a ladye seem a knight; 

The cobwebs on a dungeon wall 
Seem tapestry in lordly hall; 




56 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“Like the fabled touch of the Phrygian monarch,” said 
Mrs. Seymour, “ which we are told transmuted the meanest 
materials into gold.” 

“ Or the infatuated brain of Don Quixote, which converted 
the barber’s basin into Mambrino’s golden helmet,” added 
her husband. 

“ In like manner, then, may treasures of the greatest value 
appear to ordinary eyes as mean and worthless,” 

“ This cabinet,” continued Mr. Twaddleton, “ is under the 
influence of a potent magician; by the touch of her wand, it 
would become irradiated as with magical light, and these 
rusty coins would be transformed into all those various 
objects of interest and delight which I had promised to show 
you.” 

Tom and Louisa looked at the coins, then at the vicar, and 
afterward at Mr. Seymour, to whom they cast an inquiring 
glance. 

“ Then, pray,” exclaimed Tom, “wave this mighty wand 
of your enchantress, and fulfil your promise.” 

“ The enchantress,” replied the vicar, “ is not disposed to 
grant her favors to those by whom she has not been propi¬ 
tiated.” 

“ And what ceremony does she require ?” inquired Louisa. 

“The perusal of sundry mystic volumes, and the con^ 
sumption of a midnight lamp at her altar,” replied the vicarT 

“Do you not comprehend the allegory?” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. “ The enchanted gallery is no other than a collection 
of antique medals;—the potent enchantress, Erudition, or 
that classical learning, without which they appear of less 
value than so many rusty halfpence.” 

“You are right,” cried Mr. Twaddleton; “the poetical im¬ 
port of a device can be alone felt and appreciated by those 


A nutshell seem a gilded barge, 

A sheeling seem a palace large, 

And youth seem age, and age seem youth:— 

All was delusion, naught was truth.” 

Lay of the Last Minstrel —Canto 8, is. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


57 


who are acquainted with the classical subjects to which it 
alludes; for, as Addison forcibly observes, there is often as 
much thought on the reverse of a medal as in a canto of 
Spenser; besides, how frequently do you meet with hints 
and suggestions in an ancient poet, that give a complete illus¬ 
tration to the actions, ornaments, and antiquities which are 
found on coins! In short, the person who examines a col¬ 
lection of medals, without a competent knowledge of the 
classics, is like him who would explore a subterranean cavern 
without the aid of a torch.” 

“I have already learned one fact,” said Louisa, “with 
which I was certainly unacquainted; that the ancients pos¬ 
sessed a much greater variety of money than modern na¬ 
tions.” 

“Of that, my dear,” replied the vicar, “there is some 
doubt;—the learned are divided upon the question: some 
authors maintain that every medal, and even medallion, had 
its fixed and regular price in payments, while others, on the 
contrary, assert that we are not in the possession of any real 
money of the ancients, and that the medals never had any 
currency as coins. The truth probably is between these two 
extremes.” 

“If these medals were not used as money,” observed 
Louisa, “ for what purposes could they have been coined ?” 

“ To perpetuate the memory of great actions; and, faithful 
to its charge of fame, the medal has transmitted events, the 
history of which must, otherwise, have long since perished. 
Kay, more,” exclaimed the vicar, his voice rising as he be¬ 
came warmed by his subject, “ the lamp of history has been 
often extinguished, and the medalist has collected sparks from 
the ashes of antiquity which have rekindled its flame. You 
perceive, therefore,” continued the reverend antiquary, “ that 
such collections are of the highest importance, and if your 
papa will allow you to pass a morning in their examination, 
I shall easily bring you to admit, that I have not exaggerated 
the wonders of my magic gallery. I will convince you that 
it contains a series of original miniature portraits of the great- 



58 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


est heroes of antiquity; a compendious chart of history, chro¬ 
nology, and heathen mythology; a system of classic architec¬ 
ture ; and an accurate commentary upon the more celebrated 
poems of Greece and Rome. Ay, and I will show you a 
faithful resemblance of the very ship that carried iEneas to 
Italy, and of the lofty poop from which the luckless Palinurus 
fell into the ocean.” 

Mr. Twaddleton then favored Mr. and Mrs. Seymour with 
a sight of some of those rarer medals, which he considered as 
constituting the gems of his collection. 

“ You do not mean to say,” exclaimed Tom, as he seized a 
small coin, “ that this brass piece is of more value than the 
large coin of gold that lies next to it?” 

“Mercy upon us!” cried the vicar, in a tone of agony, 
“how the boy handles it!—restore it to its place—gently— 
gently—that ‘ little brass piece,’ as you call it, is gold, and 
although it might not have been worth one guinea fifteen 
hundred years ago, is now valued at a hundred. It is a coin 
of Ptolemy VHI. of Egypt. On the obverse is the portrait 
of the king beautifully raised; on the reverse a cornucopia. 
I do not believe that the coin was known to Pinkerton when 
he wrote his Essay.” 

“There is, certainly,” said Mr. Seymour, “ something very 
inexplicable in the tastes and enthusiastic feelings of you pa¬ 
trons of antiquity.” 

“ The antiquary,” observed the vicar, “ does not regard a 
cabinet of medals as a treasure of money, but of knowledge; 
nor does he fancy any charms in gold, but in the figures that 
adorn it.; it is not the metal, but the erudition, that stamps 
it with value.” 

Mr. Twaddleton now passed on to a different compartment 
of his cabinet, observing, that he must exhibit a few of his 
Roman treasures. “Behold,” said he, “two gems of unap- 
preciable value; never do I look upon them but with feelings 
of the purest delight. Let my young friends come nearer 
and inspect them minutely. This is a large brass coin of 
Tiberius, and was current when Christ was upon the earth; 



MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


59 


next to it lies a silver Denarius of the same Emperor; its 
value was about equal to seven-pence of our money, and was 
the coin that tempted Judas to betray his master.” 

“ I think,” said Mrs. Seymour, “ I have heard you speak of 
some English coins of rarity and interest.” 

“ True, Madam, very true, but they are in another cabinet: 
before I close the present one, I will, with your permission, 
give you a glimpse at my Sulphurs, Paduans, and Beckers.” 

“Paduans and Beckers!” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “and 
pray whdt may they be ? I never before heard the terms.” 

“ ‘ My poverty but not my will consents.’ The antiquary 
who is poor in purse,” observed the vicar, “ must needs be 
contented with being rich in counterfeits, or, I ought rather 
to have said, in possessing copies instead of originals. Becker 
was an artist of Frankfort, who excelled in imitating ancient 
coins, but he never used his skill for the purpose of deception, 
but honestly sold his productions as avowed copies, which 
are admitted into the cabinets of the curious under the name 
of Beckers. The Paduans ,” the vicar added, “ derived their 
names from two brothers at Padua, celebrated for the accu¬ 
racy with which they imitated large Roman coins.” 

“ I suppose we shall soon have Electrotype collections,” 
said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Undoubtedly; and as such impressions must of necessity 
be minutely faithful, they will <possess a value of their own, 
which can never attach to modeled copies,” observed the 
vicar. 

The antiquary now directed the attention of Mrs. Seymour 
to his English coins. “ This,” said he, “ is a shilling of Henry 
VII., curious as being the first shilling ever struck; it was 
presented to me by a college friend some years ago, and 
I have been lately informed that it is so rare as to fetch 
twenty-five pounds; but let me beg you to examine atten¬ 
tively this curious little treasure,” said the vicar, his eyes 
twinkling with pleasure as he placed the dainty morsel in the 
hand of Mrs. Seymour; “ it is,” continued he, “ a silver groat 
of Perkin Warbeck; on one side are the Royal arms, but 



60 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


without a name; they are surmounted, you perceive, with 
an arched crown, and placed between a fleur-de-lis and a 
rose.” 

u What is the inscription ?” asked Mrs. Seymour. 

“Say legend , Madam, if you please; the words are ''Do- 
mine, salvum fac regem ,’ the date 1494. The coin is supposed 
to have been struck by the order of the Duchess of Burgundy 
for Perkin Warbeck, when he set out to invade England.” 

“ Pray,” said Tom, “ have you got a Queen Anne’s far¬ 
thing ?” 

“It is really curious,” observed the vicar, “ that well-in¬ 
formed persons should still continue to be deceived with re¬ 
gard to the value of this coin. The absurd notion of its being 
worth £100 arose from an advertisement of an old lady, who 
had lost one, stating it to be one of the only three known in 
the world, and worth at least £100. The truth is, I under¬ 
stand from my much-valued friend of Tavistock-street, that 
these farthings generally fetch from five to twenty shillings 
each; there are several different types of them, but the only 
one intended for currency is that bearing the date of 1714; 
all the others were struck as patterns. This is certainly 
scarce, in consequence of the death of the Queen taking 
place before the coinage was finished. The farthing and six¬ 
pence of Oliver Cromwell are much more scarce and valua¬ 
ble ; the one generally brings <^10, the other as much as £25. 
It appears that, after Oliver had stamped his head upon 
them, he was afraid to issue them as current coins, which 
accounts for the few which have been handed down to us.” 

“You remind me,” said Mr. Seymour, “ of a story I lately 
heard of a crown-piece of Oliver lately selling at a public auc¬ 
tion for as much as two hundred guineas—can it be possible ?” 

“ You labor under a mistake,” answered the vicar; “ the 
coin you allude to is known among collectors by the name 
of the Petition crown of Charles the Second, and it is un¬ 
doubtedly a most inimitable piece of workmanship. The 
story is this: Simon, the artist had been employed by Oliver 
Cromwell, and at the Restoration, in order to obtain the pa- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


61 


tronage of Charles, executed the crown-piece in question. It 
resembles in its general appearance the common milled five- 
shilling piece, hut on the edging there are two lines of letters 
beautifully executed. The words are, ‘ Thomas Simon most 
humbly prays your Majesty to compare this his tryal piece 
with the Butc\ and if more truly drawn and embossed , more 
gracefully ordered , and more accurately engraven , to relieve 
him .’ ” 

“And what said Charles to it?” inquired Mr. Seymour. 

“ Charles,” said the vicar, “ took no notice of him, on ac¬ 
count of his having worked for Cromwell, and the poor artist 
shortly afterwards died of a broken heart.” 

“Well,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “his manes must be 
surely appeased, if his crowns now sell for two hundred 
guineas each.” 

The party, soon after this exhibition, quitted the vicarage, 
highly gratified, and returned to the Lodge, where, after the 
usual ceremonies at the toilet, they sat down to dinner, in the 
enjoyment of which we will now leave them, and put an end 
to the present chapter. 



6 








62 


PHILOSOPHY m SPORT 


CHAPTER III. 

MOTION-ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE.-UNIFORM, ACCELERATED, AND 

RETARDED VELOCITY.-THE TIMES OF ASCENT AND DESCENT ARE 

EQUAL.-VIS INERTIAL-FRICTION.-ACTION AND REACTION ARE 

EQUAL AND IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.-MOMENTUM DEFINED AND 

EXPLAINED.-THE THREE GREAT LAWS OF MOTION. 


u The table-cloth is removed,” cried Tom, as he cast a sly 
glance through the open window of the dining-room. 

“It is, my boy,” replied Mr. Twaddleton; “ Diffugere nives, 
as the poet has it.” 

u Et redeunt jam gramina campis ,” added Mr. Seymour, 
archly, as he pointed to the verdant luxuries spread over the 
table. 

u Et decrescentia flumina preetereunt” continued the vicar, 
with a smile, as he passed the nearly exhausted bottle; “but, 
psha! enough of wine and quotation. Come, let us join the 
children.” 

Mr. Twaddleton, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Seymour 
and Louisa, rose from the table, and proceeded to the lawn. 

“The gravitation of Tom’s ball,” said Mr. Seymour, “fur¬ 
nished an ample subject for our morning’s diversion; let us 
try whether its other motions will not suggest further objects 
of inquiry.” 

“I well remember,” observed Louisa, “that Mrs. Marcet 
extols that apple, the fall of which attracted the notice of Sir 
Isaac Newton, above all the apples that have ever been sung 
by the poets: and she declares that the apple presented to 
Yenus by Paris; the golden apples, through which Atalanta 





MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


63 


lost the race; nay, even the apple which William Tell shot 
from the head of his own son, cannot be brought into com- 
* parison with it.” 

“Well said! Mrs. Marcet,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour; “upon 
my word, had the mother of mankind used hut half such elo¬ 
quence in praise of an apple, we cannot wonder at its in¬ 
fluence.” 

“ What honors, then,” continued Louisa, “ shall we decree 
to Tom’s ball, if it instructs us in the first principles of phi¬ 
losophy ?” 

“We are trifling,” observed Mr. Seymour, and so saying, 
he took the ball from Tom’s hand, and rolling it along the 
ground, exclaimed, “ There it goes, performing, as you may 
perceive, two different kinds of motion at the same time: it 
turns round, or revolves on its. axis; and goes straight for¬ 
ward, or, to speak more philosophically, performs a rectilinear 
motion.” 

Tom said he did not exactly comprehend what was meant 
by the axis. His father, therefore, informed him that the 
axis of a revolving body was an imaginary line, which was it¬ 
self at rest, but about which all its other parts turned or ro¬ 
tated. “ But,” continued he, “ can you tell me whether you 
understand what is meant by the word motion 

“ If he can,” exclaimed the vicar, “ he is a cleverer fellow 
than the wisest philosopher of antiquity, who, upon being 
asked the very same question, is said to have walked across 
the room, and to have replied, 4 Fou see it, but what it is I 
cannot tell you.’ ” 

“Your ancient acquaintances,” observed Mr. Seymour, “ en¬ 
tertained some very strange notions touching this said subject 
of motion. If I remember right, Diodorus denied its very ex¬ 
istence ; but we are told that he did not himself remain un¬ 
moved , when he dislocated his shoulder, and the surgeon kept 
him in torture, while he endeavored to convince him, by his 
own mode of reasoning, that the bone could not have moved 
out of its place. We have, however, at present, nothing to 
do with the ancients; the philosophers of our own times agree 




64 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


in defining motion to be 1 the act of a body changing its situ¬ 
ation with regard to any other;' and you will therefore readily 
perceive that this may actually happen to a body while it re¬ 
mains absolutely at rest.” 

“Well, that beats all the paradoxes I ever heard,” cried 
Tom; “ a body then may be in motion, while it is at rest.” 

u Certainly,” replied Mr. Seymour, “it may be relatively in 
motion, while it is absolutely at rest.” 

“ How can a body change its place,” said Louisa, “ except 
by moving?” 

“ Very readily,” answered her father; “ it may have its rel¬ 
ative situation changed with respect to surrounding objects. 
There is your ball, and here is a stone; has not each of them 
a particular situation with respect to the other; and by 
moving one, do I not change the relative situation of both ?” 

“I perceive your meaning,” said Tom. 

“To prevent confusion, therefore, in our ideas, it became 
necessary to distinguish these two lands of motion from each 
other by appropriate terms; and, accordingly, where there 
has been an actual change of place, in the common meaning 
of the term, the motion which produced it is termed absolute 
motion; whereas, on the contrary, when the situation has 
been only relatively changed, by an alteration in the position 
Df surrounding bodies, the motion is said to be kelative.” 

“Surely, papa,” said Louisa, “no person can ever mistake 
relative for absolute motion; what then is the use of such 
frivolous distinctions? When a body really moves, we can 
observe it in the act of changing its place, and no difficulty 
can arise about the matter.” 

“ Nothing, my dear, is more fallacious than our vision; the 
earth appears motionless, and the sun and stars seem as if they 
revolved round it; but it is scarcely necessary for me to inform 
you, that our globe is constantly moving with considerable ve¬ 
locity, while the sun remains at rest. Mr. Sadler, the famous 
aeronaut,” continued Mr. Seymour, “informed me that he 
was never sensible of the motion of his balloon in any of his 
excursions, but that, as he ascended into the air, the earth al 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


65 


ways appeared as if sinking beneath him, and as he descended, 
as if rising to meet him.” 

Mr. Twaddleton here observed that he had heard a very 
curious anecdote, when he was last in London, which fully 
confirmed the truth of Mr. Sadler’s statement. “ An aero¬ 
naut,” said he, “ whose name I cannot at this moment recol¬ 
lect, had recently published a map of his voyage, and, instead 
of proceeding in any one fine of direction, his track absolutely 
appeared in the form of circles, connected with each other 
like the finks of a chain: this occasioned considerable aston¬ 
ishment, and of course some speculation, until it was at length 
discovered that his apparent journey was to be attributed to 
the rotatory motion of the balloon, which the voyager, not 
feeling, had never suspected.” 

“And what,” asked Tom, “could have been the reason of 
his not having felt the motion ?” 

His father explained to him, that we are only conscious of 
being in motion when the conveyance in which we are placed 
suffers some impediment in its progress. “If,” said he, “you 
were to close your eyes, when sailing on calm water, with a 
steady breeze, you would not perceive that you were moving: 
for you could not feel the motion, and you could only see it 
by observing the change of place in the different objects on 
the shore; and then it would be almost impossible, without 
the' aid of reason and experience, to believe that the shore 
itself was not in motion, and that you were at rest. I shall, 
however, be able to explain this subject more clearly by an 
optical toy winch I have in preparation.” 

Mrs. Seymour here repeated the following passage from 
that interesting novel “ Anastasius,” which she observed was 
beautifully descriptive of the illusive appearance to which 
their papa had just referred: 

“ The gradually increasing breeze carried us rapidly out of 
the Straits of Ohio. The different objects on the shore- 
mountains, valleys, villages, and steeples*—seemed in swift 
succession, first advancing to meet us, then halting an instant 
alongside our vessel, as if to greet us on our passage, and, 

6 * 



66 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


lastly, again gliding off with equal speed; till, launched into 
the open main, we saw the whole line of coast gradually dis¬ 
solve in distant darkness.” 

“ That is indeed a beautiful and very apposite illustration,” 
said Mr. Seymour; u and I think Louisa will now admit 
that it is not quite so easy as she at first imagined to distin¬ 
guish between Absolute and Relative motion.” 

As the children now understood what was meant by the 
term Motion , their father asked them whether they could 
tell him what produced it. 

“I can make a body move by various means,” answered 
Tom. 

“ But they may all be reduced to one,” said Mr. Seymour; 
“ viz., some exertion which is called Force; thus the force 
of my hand put your b$ll in motion; while gravitation was 
the force which made it fall to the earth; and I must, more¬ 
over, inform you that a body always moves ih the direction 
of the force which impels it, and with a velocity, or rate of 
motion, which is proportional to its degree or strength; and, 
were there no other forces in action but that which originally 
produced the motion, the body would proceed onward in a 
right fine, and with a uniform velocity forever.” 

“ Forever! ” exclaimed Louisa. 

“ Ay, my dear, forever: but we will discuss that question 
presently; you must first tell me whether you understand 
what is meant by uniform velocity.” 

“ I suppose that uniform velocity is that which is regular, 
and of an equal rate throughout.” 

“Philosophers,” replied her father, “call the motion of a 
body uniform , when it passes over equal spaces in equal 
times. ISTow, Tom, it is your turn to answer a question. 
Can you describe the meaning of the terms Accelerated and 
Retarded motion?” 

“ I conclude that motion is said to be accelerated when it 
moves every moment quicker and quicker, and to b q retarded 
when it moves slower and slower.” 

“You are perfectly right; and gravity may either act in 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


67 


occasioning the one or the other; our experiment at the well, 
this morning, afforded you an example of gravity producing 
a regularly accelerated motion. I did not fully explain the 
fact at the time, because I was desirous of avoiding too many 
new ideas at once; we must win our way slowly and cau¬ 
tiously through the mazes of philosophy: I will, however, 
now endeavor to give you as clear an explanation as the‘sub¬ 
ject will allow. It is, I think, evident, that if at the moment 
you dropped the stone from your hand the force of gravity 
could have been suspended, it would have descended to the 
bottom of the well with a uniform velocity; because there 
could have been notliing either to accelerate or retard its 
motion. But this was not the case, for the power of gravity 
was in constant operation; and, if you keep this fact in 
mind, you will readily understand how the velocity became 
accelerated: for, suppose the impulse given by gravity to the 
stone, during the first instant of its descent, be equal to one , 
the next instant we shall find that an additional impulse gives 
the stone an additional velocity equal to one , so that the 
accumulated velocity is now equal to two; the following 
instant again increases the velocity to three , and so on, till 
the stone reaches the bottom.” 

Mr. Twaddleton observed, the fact might be shortly ex¬ 
pressed by saying, that “the effects of preceding impulses 
must be added to subsequent velocities.” 

Mr. Seymour then remarked that the same explanation 
would apply to retarded velocity. “If,” said he, “yon 
throw a stone perpendicularly upward, the velocity will be 
as much retarded , as it was in the other case accelerated , by 
gravity; the consequence of which is, that it will be exactly 
the same length of time ascending that it was descending.” 

“ I should have thought the very reverse,” cried Louisa, 
“ and that it would have fallen quicker than it rose.” 

“You have forgotten to take into account the force with 
which the stone is thrown upward, and which is destroyed 
by gravity before it begins to descend.” 

“ Certainly,” answered Louisa; “ but the force given to a 



68 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


stone in throwing it upward cannot always be equal to the 
force of gravity in bringing it down again; for the force of 
gravity is always the same, while the force given to the stone 
is entirely optional. I may throw it up gently or otherwise, 
as I please.” 

“ If you throw it gently,” said her father, “ it will not rise 
high, and gravity will soon bring it down again; if you throw 
it with violence, it will rise much higher, and gravity will be 
longer in bringing it back to the ground. Suppose, for 
instance, that you throw it with a force that will make it 
rise only sixteen feet; in that case, you know, it will fall in 
one second of time. How it is proved by experiment, that 
an impulse requisite to project a body sixteen feet upward 
will make it ascend that height in one second of time; here, 
then, the times of ascent and descent are equal. But, sup¬ 
posing it he required to throw a stone twice that height, the 
force must be proportionally greater. You see,"then, that the 
impulse of projection, in throwing a body upward, is always 
equal to the action of the force of gravity during its descent; 
and that it is the greater or less distance to which the body 
rises that makes these two forces balance each other.” 

“ Thank you, dear papa, for the pains you have taken in 
explaining this subject to us.” 

“Hay,” replied Mr. Seymour, “bestow your thanks upon 
those to whom they are more justly due; Mrs. Marcet is enti¬ 
tled to the merit of this explanation; for I obtained it from 
her ‘ Conversations.’ Before I quit this subject, I would just 
observe that, when we come to the consideration of the bow 
and arrow, you will, by the application of the law I have 
endeavored to expound, be enabled to ascertain the height to 
which your arrow may ascend, with the same* facility as you 
discovered the depth of the well; for, since the times of 
ascent and descent are equal, you have only to determine the 
number of seconds which intervene between the instant at 
which the arrow quits the bow to that at which it falls to 
the ground, and, having them, to make the usual calculation. 
But let us proceed to another subject. Roll the ball hither, 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


69 


Tom; roll the ball hither, I say! you stand as if you thought 
it would advance to us of its own accord.” 

“ I know a little better than that, too,” cried Tom; “ no 
body can move without the application of some force.” 

“Nor stop, either,” added Mr. Seymour, “when it is once 
in motion; for matter is equally indifferent to both rest and 
motion.” 

“And yet, papa,” cried Louisa, “unfortunately for your 
assertion, the ball stopped just now, and I am sure that no 
force was used to make it do so.” 

“ And pray, Miss Pert, why are you so sure that no force 
was opposed to its progress ? I begin to fear that my lesson 
has been thrown away upon you, or you would not, surely, 
have concluded so falsely.” 

The vicar here interposed, observing that, simple as the 
question might appear to those who had studied it, the fact 
was so contrary to every thing that passed before us, that Mr. 
Seymour ought not to feel any surprise at the skepticism of 
his daughter; he begged to remind him that the truth, ap¬ 
parent as it doubtless now was, lay hid for ages before the 
sagacity of Galileo brought it to light. 

Mr. Seymour admitted the justice of this remark, and pro¬ 
ceeded in his explanation. 

“ I think,” said he, “ you will readily allow that matter 
cannot, in itself, possess any power of changing its condition: 
it can, therefore, no more destroy than it can originate its 
own motion; when it is at rest, it must ever remain so, un¬ 
less some force be applied that can impart to it activity; and 
when once in motion, if must continue to move until some 
counteracting force stops it. To believe otherwise, you must 
suppose that matter possesses in itself a power to alter its con¬ 
dition, which is perfectly absurd.” 

“ And yet,” said Tom, “ when I see my ball or marble stop 
of its own accord, how can you blame me for believing it 
possible?” 

“Your difficulty arises from your ignorance of the exist¬ 
ence of certain forces which act upon the rolling ball or mar- 



70 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


ble. Its progress, as it rolls along, is impeded and ultimately 
stopped by the rubbing, or friction, occasioned by its passage 
over the ground; and this will be greater or less, according 
to the degree of roughness of the surface; if it be small, the 
ball will continue for a longer time in motion; you must 
have observed that your marble has always rolled much fur¬ 
ther on a smooth pavement than on a' rough gravel walk.” 

“ Certainly,” said Tom; “ and I well remember, that when 
we played at ring-taw , last winter, on the ice, we were 
obliged, for this very reason, to extend the usual boundaries.” 

“ Exactly so; and your marble, under such circumstances, 
would run along like the enchanted bowl of the Dervise, in 
the Arabian Nights. Is it not evident, then, that the mo¬ 
tion of a body is stopped by some opposing force; and that, 
if this could be entirely removed, the body would continue 
to move forever?” 

“ What a provoking thing this friction is!” said Tom; *“ it is 
always interfering with our experiments.” 

“Provoking, is it? I fancy,” said Mr. Seymour, “ that you 
would be much more provoked by the loss of it; without it 
you could not walk, nor even hold an object in your hands; 
and yet every thing around you would be in perpetual mo¬ 
tion, performing one universal and interminable dance.” 

“ I can readily understand, from what you have said, that, 
if friction were removed, motion might continue; but pray 
how is it that we should be unable to walk, or to hold any 
thing in our hands?” inquired Louisa. 

“ It is the friction of the ground which, at every step we ' 
take, prevents the foot from sliding *back, and thus enables 
us to push the body forward. Everybody must have felt 
how difficult it is to walk on ice, where the friction is only 
diminished, not entirely removed,” answered her father; 
“and as to holding any object,” continued he, “it is the fric¬ 
tion of the body to which we apply our hands that enables 
us to hold it firmly.” 

“ To be sure,” exclaimed the vicar; “ why, my boy, you 
must surely remember, that in ancient combats it was the 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


71 


custom to rub tlie body with oil, that the adversary might 
not be able to keep his grasp.” 

“Well,” said Tom, “our houses, I suppose, would re¬ 
main firm, and we might sit quietly in our chairs, at all 
events.” 

“ Mot so,” replied Mr. Seymour; “ for even granting that 
you had houses and chairs, which, without the existence of 
friction would never exist, the stability of the structures could 
never be secured; the slightest breath would be sufficient to 
make the stones or bricks slide off from each other, and to 
reduce your dwellings into dancing ruins.” 

Tom and Louisa, after some farther discussion, both admit¬ 
ted the justness of the argument; but, at the same time, would 
have been better satisfied if the fact could have been proved 
by actual experiment. Mr. Seymour told them that the per¬ 
petual revolution of the earth and heavenly bodies, where no 
friction whatever existed, afforded a proof which ought to 
satisfy them; and, especially, since it agreed with those views 
which were proyed to be true by an examination of what 
took place on the surface of our own globe. 

We will, therefore, with the permission of our readers, con¬ 
sider this point as settled, and proceed with the young philoso¬ 
phers to the investigation of some other topics connected with 
the doctrine of motion. 

“ Since a body at rest,” said Mr. Seymour, “ can only be 
set in motion, or, when in motion, be brought to rest, by the 
impression of some force, it must follow that it can only 
move in the direction in which such a force may act; and, 
moreover, that the degree of motion, or the velocity , must, 
other things being equal, be in proportion to the degree 
of force used.” 

“Why, truly,” cried the vicar, “my young friends must 
of necessity admit that fact; for the body, not having any 
will of its own, as you say, must needs, if it move at all, go 
the road it is driven.” 

“Yes,” added Mr. Seymour, “and it must go with a 
velocity in proportion to the force with which it is driven. 



72 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Doubtless, doubtless,” cried the vicar, “ you admit that 
also; do you not, my young friends and playmates ?” 

It is hardly necessary to state that the children instantly 
assented to these propositions. The vicar had placed them 
in so clear and popular a point of view, as to be intelligible to 
the lowest capacities. 

“With these admissions, then, my dear children, said their 
father, “ I shall have but little difficulty in convincing you 
of the truth of the other laws by which the direction of 
moving bodies is governed. At present, however, it is not my 
intention to enter upon this subject: you have some prelimi¬ 
nary knowledge to acquire before you can understand what 
is termed the Composition and Resolution of Forces .” 

“ I shall not easily forget,” said Louisa, “ that matter is 
perfectly passive, and that it can neither put itself in motion 
when at rest, nor stop itself when in motion.” 

“ This indifference to rest or motion,” replied Mr. Seymour, 
“ has been termed the Vis Inertice of matter.” 

“A very objectionable term—a very puzzling expression,” 
exclaimed the vicar, “to denote a mere state of passive in¬ 
difference by the word Vis , or power, does appear to me, who 
have been in the habit of connecting words with ideas, as ex¬ 
cessively absurd.” 

“I allow,” said Mr. Seymour, “that the simple word Iner¬ 
tia would have been preferable; but we are bound to receive 
an expression which has been long current. I suppose, how¬ 
ever, you know that the addition of Vis originated with 
Kepler, who, like my boy Tom, could not help thinking that 
the disposition of a body either to maintain or resist mo¬ 
tion indicated something very like power; but we will not 
waste our time upon verbal disquisitions, although I cannot 
part with you, my dear vicar, without reminding you that 
there is ample classical authority for this apparent contradic¬ 
tion of terms. The connecting two ideas, which at first 
sight appear opposed to each other, constituted a figure of 
speech much used both by the Greeks and Komans.” 

“Unquestionably,” said the vicar: “Euripides delighted in 



MADE SCIENCE IN EAENEST. 


73 


it, and that was a sufficient reason for Aristophanes to satirize 
it. Horace, too, has given us several examples of it, as ‘ In - 
saniens Sapiential i Strenua Inertia J and in our own times 
we hear of lawyers talking of '‘Long Briefs P ” 

“ It is clear,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ that matter, at rest, 
resists being put in motion; the degree of that resistance is 
always in proportion to the degree of force applied to put it 
in motion; or, to speak more philosophically, that Action and 
Reaction are equal , and in opposite directions .” 

“You surely do not mean to say,” exclaimed Tom, “that 
if* I strike my marble, the marble strikes my hand with the 
same force in return ?” 

“ Precisely; that is my meaning.” 

“What!” cried Louisa, “if a man strikes another on the 
the face with his hand, do you seriously maintain that both 
parties suffer the same pain?” 

“Oh, no, no,” said Tom, “papa can never intend to say 
that; I am quite sure, if it were the case, Mr. Pearson would 
not be so fond of boxing our ears.” 

Mr. Seymour answered this question, by observing that, 
if the hand possessed the same degree of feeling as the face, 
they would both suffer equally under the conflict. “If,” 
continued he, “you strike a glass bottle with an iron hammer, 
the blow will be received by the hammer and the glass; and 
it is quite immaterial whether the hammer be moved against 
the bottle at rest, or the bottle be moved against the hammer 
at rest, yet the bottle will be broken, though the hammer be 
not injured; because the same blow which is sufficient to 
shiver the glass is not sufficient to break or injure the lump 
of iron. In like manner, the blow that is sufficient to pain 
your sensitive face, and make your ears tingle, will not occasion 
the least annoyance to the obtuse hand of your preceptor. 
The operation of this law,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ will be 
exemplified in every step of our progress. When the marble, 
as it rolls along, strikes any obstacles, it receives, in return, a 
corresponding blow, which will be found to influence its sub¬ 
sequent direction. The peg of the top, as it rubs on the 



74 : 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


ground, is as much influenced by the friction, as if a force 
were actually applied to it when in a state of rest; and when 
we consider the forces by which the kite is made to ascend 
into the air, you will learn, from the same law, the nature of 
that advantage which you derive from running with it.” 

The vicar observed that the subject of Momentum might be 
introduced, and advantageously explained, upon this occasion. 

“ Momentum,” said Tom; “ and pray what is that ?” 

“ It is a power,” replied his father, w intimately connected 
with motion; and, therefore, as your friend, the vicar, justly 
remarks, may be very properly introduced before we quit 
that subject. It is the force with which a body in motion 
strikes against another body.” 

“ That,” observed Tom, “ must of course depend upon the 
velocity of the body’s motion.” 

“Undoubtedly, my dear; the quicker a body moves, the 
greater must be the force with which it would strike against 
another body; but we also know that the heavier a body is, 
the greater also will be its force; so that momentum , you 
perceive, must have a relation to both these circumstances, 
viz., velocity and weight; or, to speak more correctly, the 
momentum of a tody is composed of its quantity of matter 
multiplied ty its quantity of motion: for example, if the 
weight of a body be represented by the number 3, and its 
velocity also by 3, its momentum will be represented by 
3 X 3 = 9 ; so that, in producing momentum, increased velocity 
will alway compensate for deficiency of matter, and a light 
body may thus be made a more effective force than a heavy 
one, provided that its velocity be proportionally increased; 
thus, a small ball, weighing only two pounds , and moving at 
the rate of five hundred feet in a second, will produce as 
much effect as a cannon-ball of ten pounds in weight, pro¬ 
vided it moved only at the rate of one hundred feet in the 
same time.” 

“ Let me see,” cried Tom, “ whether I understand your 
statement. We must multiply, as you say, the weight by the 
velocity; the weight of the small ball you state at two 



MADE SCIENCE IN EAENEST. 


75 


pounds, and it travels at the rate of five hundred feet in a 
second; then its momentum must he a thousand. The 
weight of the great hall is ten pounds, its velocity only a 
hundred feet, then its momentum must also he a thousand; 
because, in both cases, the sums multiplied into each other 
will give the same product.” 

“ Exactly: and thus you perceive that the small ball be¬ 
comes an exact balance to the larger one; the first making 
out in motion what it wanted in matter, while the latter 
makes out in matter what it wanted in motion. I wish you 
to keep this law of Momentum in your remembrance; upon 
it depends the action of all the mechanical powers, as they 
are termed; and which I shall hereafter more fully explain.” 

“ I have heard,” said Louisa, “ that a feather might be 
made to produce as much havoc as a cannon-shot, if you 
could give it sufficient velocity.” 

“ Unquestionably: but there is a practical difficulty in the 
attempt, from the resistance of the air, which increases, as 
you have already seen in the experiment of the paper and 
penny-piece (p. 46), as the weight of a body decreases: and 
which explains the adage, that L Hercules cannot throw a 
feather further than a child .’ "Were it not for this resistance 
of the air, a hailstone falling from the clouds would acquire 
such a momentum, from its accelerated velocity, as to descend 
like a bullet from a gun, and destroy every thing before it; 
even those genial showers which refresh us in the spring and 
summer months, would, without such a provision, destroy 
the herbage they are so well calculated to cherish. Had the 
elephant possessed the mobility of the beetle, it would have 
overturned mountains. Erom this view of the subject of 
Momentum,” continued Mr. Seymour, “you will easily un¬ 
derstand why the immense battering-rams, used by the an¬ 
cients in the art of war, should have given place to cannon¬ 
balls of but a few pounds in weight. Suppose, for example, 
that the battering-ram of Vespasian weighed 100,000 pounds, 
and was moved, we will admit, with such a velocity, by 
strength of hands, as to pass through 20 feet in one second 



76 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


of time, and that this was found sufficient to demolish the 
walls of Jerusalem, can you tell me with what velocity a 32- 
pounder must move to do the same execution ?” 

“ I will try,” said Tom, as he took out his pencil and pocket- 
book, to make the calculation. 

“ Stop, I think you will hardly succeed without my guid¬ 
ance,” said his father; “letus therefore work it out together: 
now you will readily perceive that we must in the first place 
determine the momentum of the battering-ram, by multiply¬ 
ing its weight by its velocity, or in other words by the space 
which it passes over in a second of time.” 

“ That I understand.” 

“Very well,” continued Mr. Seymour, “its weight was 
100,000 pounds, and its velocity such as to carry it through 
20 feet in a second of time; now make the required calcula¬ 
tion.” 

“ I have done it—it is 200,000.” 

“ You are quite right; now if this momentum, which must 
also be that of the cannon-ball, be divided by the weight of 
that ball, viz., 32 pounds, we shall obtain the velocity required, 
which is 62,500 feet.” 

Mr. Twaddleton here observed, that he thought “his young 
friends and playmates” must have received, for that day, as 
much philosophy as they could conveniently carry away 
without fatigue. Mr. Seymour concurred in this observa¬ 
tion ; and the more readily, as the path they had to travel 
was rugged, and beset with difficulties. “ I will, therefore,” 
said he, “not impose any further burden upon them; but 
I will assist them in tying, into separate bundles, the mate¬ 
rials which they have collected in their progress, in order 
that they convey them away with greater ease and security. 
Know then, my dear children,” said the affectionate parent, 
“ that you have this day been instructed in the three great 
Laws of Motion, viz.: 

I. That every body will continue in a state of rest, until 
put into motion by some external force applied to it, 
and if that force be single, the motion so produced 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


77 


will be rectilinear , i. e., in the direction of a straight 
line. 

II. Change of motion is always 'proportional to the moving 

force impressed, and is always made in the direction 
of the right line in which the force acts. 

III. Action and Reaction are equal in equal quantities 

of matter , and act in contrary directions to each 
other 












78 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


'% CHAPTER IV. 

A SAD ACCIDENT TURNED TO A GOOD ACCOUNT.-ONE EXAMPLE WORTH 

A HUNDRED PREOEPTS.-VIS INERTIHE.-THE BANDILOR.-AN EX¬ 
PERIMENT.-THE CENTERS OF MAGNITUDE AND GRAVITY.-THE 

POINT OF SUSPENSION.-THE LINE OF DIRECTION.—THE STABILITY 

OF BODIES, AND UPON WHAT IT DEPENDS.-METHOD OF FINDING 

THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF A BODY.-THF ART OF THE BAL¬ 
ANCER EXPLAINED AND ILLUSTRATED.-WALKING ON STILTS.- 

VARIOUS BALANCING TOYS. 


Just as Mr. Seymour was, on the following morning, step¬ 
ping upon the lawn, with the intention of joining his chil¬ 
dren, Rosa and Fanny both made their appearance completely 
drenched with water, and dripping like mermaids. 

“Heyday!” exclaimed their father, “how has this misfor¬ 
tune happened ?” 

“ Do not be angry, papa,” said Tom; “ indeed, indeed, it 
was an accident. Fanny, observing the water-cart in the 
garden, had just begun to wheel it forward, when the water 
rushed over her like a wave of the sea, and, upon stopping 
the cart, it flew over with equal force on the opposite side, 
and deluged poor Rosa, who was walking in front of it.” 

“Well, well, lose no time in changing your clothes, and 
meet me again in half an hour.” 

At the appointed time the children reassembled on the 
lawn. 

“And so, then,” said their father, “I perceive that my 
philosophical lesson of yesterday has been entirely lost upon 
you.” 

The children were unable to comprehend the meaning of 
this rebuke; but Mr. Seymour proceeded: 






MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


79 


“ I trust, however, that the accident of this morning will 
serve to impress it more forcibly upon yonr memory; one 
example is better than a hundred precepts.” 

Tom was more puzzled than ever. 

“You have met with an accident; I will endeavor to con¬ 
vert it into a source of instruction, by showing you how the 
principles of natural philosophy may be brought to bear upon 
the most trivial concerns of life. You learned yesterday that 
a body at rest offers a resistance to any force that would put 
it in motion, and that, when in motion, it equally opposes a 
state of rest. Now let us apply this law for the explanation ' 
of the accident that has just befallen you: The butt was full 
of water; when you attempted to wheel it forward, the water 
resisted the motion thus communicated to the vessel, and 
from its vis inertia, or effort to remain at rest, rose up in a 
direction contrary to that in which the vessel moved, and 
consequently poured over; by this time, however, the mass 
of fluid had acquired the motion of the cart, when you sud¬ 
denly stopped it, and the water, in endeavoring to continue 
its state of motion, from the same cause that it had just be¬ 
fore resisted it, rose up on the opposite side, and thus deluged 
poor Rosa.” 

Louisa was quite delighted with this simple and satisfac¬ 
tory application of philosophy, and observed that she should 
not, herself, mind a thorough soaking, if it were afterward 
rewarded by a scientific discovery 

“ I will give you, then, another illustration of the same law 
of motion,” said Mr. Seymour, “ which, instead of explaining 
an accident, may perhaps have the effect of preventing one. 

If, while you are sitting quietly on your horse, the animal 
starts forward, you will be in danger of falling off backward; 
but if, while you are galloping along, it should stop suddenly, 
you will inevitably be thrown forward over the head of the 
animal.” 

“I clearly perceive,” said Louisa, “that such would be my 
fate under the circumstances you state.” 

“ Now, then, my dear children, since our friend the vicar 



80 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


cannot attend ns at present, suppose we retire to the library, 
where I have an interesting experiment to perform, and a 
new toy ready for your inspection.” 

Incompliance with their father’s wishes, the children cheer¬ 
fully returned to the library, when Mr. Seymour presented 
Louisa with a Bajstdiloe. Most of our readers are, doubtless, 
acquainted with this elegant toy. It consists of two disks of 
wood, united to each other by a small axis, upon which a 
piece of string is affixed. "When this string is wound round 
the axis, and the bandilor is suffered to run down from the 
hand, the end of the string being held by a loop on the fore¬ 
finger, its momentum winds up the string again, and thus it 
will continue for any length of time to descend from, and 
ascend to, the hand. It affords a good example of the opera¬ 
tion of vis inertice , or what may with equal propriety be 
termed the momentum of rotatory motion. Its action may 
be compared to that of a wheel, which, running down a hill, 
acquires sufficient momentum to carry it up another. There 
are several toys which owe their operation to the same prin¬ 
ciple, of which we may particularize the windmill, whose 
fliers are pulled round by a string affixed to the axis of the 
sails. In playing with the bandilor, a certain address is 
required to prevent the sudden check which the toy would 
otherwise receive when it arrived at the end of the string, 
and which would necessarily so destroy its momentum as to 
prevent its winding itself up again. Mr. Seymour now 
informed his young pupils that he had an experiment to 
exhibit, which would further illustrate in a very pleasing 
manner the truth of the doctrine of vis inertia. 0 He accord¬ 
ingly inverted a wine-glass, and placed a shilling on its foot; 
and, having pushed it suddenly along the table, the coin flew 
off toward the operator, or in a direction opposite to that in 
which the glass was moving. He then replaced the shilling, 
and imparted to the glass a less sudden motion; and when 
it had acquired sufficient velocity, he checked it, and the 
coin darted forward, leaving the glass behind it. 

Louisa, upon witnessing this experiment, observed that she 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


81 


felt satisfied of the correctness of her father’s statement, when 
he told her, that if the horse suddenly started forward when 
she was at rest, she would he thrown off behind, and that 
if it should suddenly stop on the gallop, she would he pre¬ 
cipitated over its head. The children arranged themselves 
around the table, in order to consider several curious toys 
which Mr. Seymour had collected for the purpose of explain¬ 
ing the nature of the Center of Gravity. 

“ But, in the first place,” said Mr. Seymour, “can you 
tell me, Tom, what is meant by The Center of Gravity ?” 

“ Its central point,” answered the boy. 

“ Certainly not; the central point is termed its center of 
magnitude , not that of gravity; and it is only when a body 
is of uniform density and regular figure, that these centers of 
magnitude and gravity coincide, or fall in the same spot.” 

“ I now remember that the center of gravity is that point 
about which all the parts of a body exactly balance each 
other.” 

“ Mow you are right; it is, in other words, that point in 
which the whole weight or gravitating influence of a body 
is, as it were, condensed or concentrated, and upon which, 
if the body be freely suspended, it will rest with security; 
and consequently, as long as this center is supported, the 
body can never fall; 'while in every other position it will 
endeavor to descend to the lowest place at which it can 
arrive.” 

“ Have all bodies, whatever may be their shape, a center 
of gravity ?” asked Louisa. 

“ Undoubtedly.” 

“ And you say that every body will fall if this point is not 
supported ?” 

“Infallibly. And now, Tom,” said Mr. Seymour, “can 
you tell me what is meant by the line of direction ?” 

The young philosopher was unable to answer this question, 
and his father therefore informed him, that if a perpendicular 
line were drawn from the center of gravity of a body to the 
center of the earth, such a line would be termed the line of 





82 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


direction; along which every body, not supported, endeav¬ 
ors to fall; and he was also informed that, if this said line 
fell within the base of a body, such a body was sure to stand; 
but never otherwise. 

Louisa observed that she was not quite sure she under¬ 
stood her papa’s meaning, and therefore begged for further 
explanation. 

u I will exemplify it then,” replied Mr. Seymour, “ by a 
drawing. Fig. 10 represents a load of stones in a cart moving 
upon the sloping road cde: this load being low down in the 
cart, b will represent its 
center of gravity, and 
b f its line of direction, 
which, you perceive, falls 
much within the support¬ 
ing or lower wheel g : and 
there cannot, therefore 
be any danger of such a 
cart being overturned; 
but in fig. 11 the center 
of gravity is raised from 
its former position to h, and h i is now the fine of direction; 
which, falling without the base, or wheel k, the load will not 
be supported, and must consequently fall. These figures,” 
added Mr. Seymour, “will also explain a fact which you 
must have frequently observed, that a body is stable or firm 
in proportion to the breadth of its base; hence the difficulty 
of sustaining a tall body, like a walking-stick, upon its nar¬ 
row base; or that of balancing a hoop upon its edge, or a 
top upon its point; while, on the contrary, it is almost im¬ 
possible to upset the cone or the pry amid, since in the latter 
cases, the line of direction falls within the middle of the base, 
the center of gravity of the body being necessarily low.” 

“I suppose,” observed Louisa, “ that this is the reason why 
carriages, when too much loaded, are so apt to upset.” 

“ Say, when too much loaded on their tops, and you will 
be right. As you now, I trust, understand this part of the 


Fig. 11. Fig. 10. 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


83 


subject, let usv proceed a step further: if you take any 
body, with a view *to suspend it, is it not evident that if 
it be suspended by that point in which the center of gravity 
is situated, it must remain at rest in any position indiffer¬ 
ently ?” 

u I thought,” said Tom, “ we had already settled that ques¬ 
tion.” 

“ True, my dear boy; but there is another question of great 
importance arising out of it, and which you have not yet 
considered: tell me, should the body be suspended on any 
other point, in what position it can rest?” 

“ I do not exactly understand the question.” 

“There are,” replied his father, “only two positions in 
which it could rest, either where the center of gravity is 
exactly above , or exactly below , the point of suspension; so 
that, in short, this point shall be in the line of direction. 
Where the point of suspension is below the center of gravity, 
it is extremely difficult to balance or support a tall body by 
such a method, because the center of gravity is always en¬ 
deavoring to get under the point of support. Look at this 
diagram, and you will readily comprehend my meaning. 
k is the center of gravity of the diamond-shaped figure, which 
may be supported, or balanced, on a pin passing through it at 
m, as long as the center of gravity k is immedi¬ 
ately over the point of suspension m ; but if that 
center is removed in the slightest degree, either 
to the right or left of its place k, the body will no 
longer retain its erect position i k m, but it will 
revolve upon m, and place itself in the situation 
indicated by the dotted lines beneath the point 
m, and its center of gravity will now be removed 
to n, directly under m, and in the line k l, 
which, as you well know, is the line of direction. 

Have I rendered myself intelligible ?” 

“ I understand it perfectly,” answered Tom. 

“And do you also, my dear Louisa?” 

Louisa’s answer was equally satisfactory, and 


Fig. 12 . 



N ) 


K 





84 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


Mr. Seymour went on to state that the information they had 
now acquired would enable them to ascertain the situation 
of the center of gravity of any plane surface which was port¬ 
able, notwithstanding it might possess the utmost irregularity 
of shape. 

“ You shall, for example,” continued he, “ find the center 
of gravity in your kite.” 

“I cannot say,” observed Tom, “how I should set 
about it.” 

“Well, fetch your kite and I will explain the method.” 

Tom soon produced it, and the tail having been removed, 
Mr. Seymour proceeded as follows: 

“I now,” said he, “ suspend the kite by the 
loop at its how, and since it is at rest, we 
know that the center of gravity must he 
exactly below the point of suspension; if, 
therefore, we draw a perpendicular fine from 
that point, which may be easily done by a 
plumb-line, with a weight attached to it, such 
a line will represent the line of direction (as 
indicated by a b in fig. 13).” 

“ It is clear enough,” said Tom, “ that the 
center of gravity must lie in the fine a &, but 
how are we to find in what part of it ?” 

“ By suspending the kite in another direction,” answered 
Mr. Seymour, who then hung it up in the position repre¬ 
sented at fig. 14, “and then by ^ 
drawing another perpendicular Flg ' 14 ‘ 

from the new point of suspension.” 

“ The center of gravity,” said 
Louisa, “ will in that case be in the 
line c d, as it was before in that of 
a &.” 

“In both the lines!” exclaimed 
Tom, with some surprise; “ it can¬ 
not be in two places.” 

“And therefore,” added Mr. 



Fig. 13. 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


85 


Seymour, “ it must be in that point in which the lines meet 
and cross each other;” so saying, he marked the spot g 
with his pencil, and then told his little scholars that he 
would soon convince them of the accuracy of the principle. 
He accordingly placed the head of his stick upon the pencil 
mark, and the kite was found to balance itself with great 
exactness. 

“ True, papa,” said Tom,” “ that point must be the center 
of gravity, for all the parts of the kite exactly balance each 
other about it.” 

“ It is really,” observed Louisa, “ a very simple method of 
finding the center of gravity.” 

“ It is,” said Mr. Seymour; “ but you must remember that 
it will only apply to a certain description of bodies: when 
they are not portable, and will not admit of this kind of 
examination, their centers of gravity can only be ascertained 
by experiment or calculation, in which the weight, density, 
and situation of the respective materials must be taken into 
the account. Having proceeded thus far, you have next to 
learn that the center of gravity is sometimes so situated as 
not to be within the body, but actually at some distance 
from it.” 

“Why, papa!” exclaimed Tom, “how can that possibly 
happen ?” 

“ You shall hear. The center of gravity, as you have just 
said, is that point about which all the parts of a body bal¬ 
ance each other; but it may so happen that there is a vacant 
'space at this point. Where, for example, is the center of 
gravity of this.ring? Must it not be in the space which the 
ring encircles ?” 

“ I think it must,” said Tom; “ and yet how can it be 
ever supported without touching the ring?” 

“ That point cannot be supported,” answered his father, 
“ unless the ring be so held that the line of direction shall 
fall within the base of the support, which will be the case 
whether you poise the ring on the tip of your finger, or 
suspend it by a string, as represented in the figures which I 

8 



86 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


have copied from the ‘ Conversations on 
Natural Philosophy.’ I need scarcely 
add, that it will be more stably sup¬ 
ported in the latter position, because 
the center of gravity is below the 
point of suspension; whereas in the 
former the base is extremely narrow, 
and it will, consequently, require all the address of the balan¬ 
cer to prevent the center of gravity from falling beyond it. 
As you are now in possession of all the leading principles upon 
which the operations of the center of gravity depend, I shall 
put a few practical questions to you, in order that I may be 
satisfied you understand them. Tell me, therefore, why a 
person who is fearful of falling, as, for instance, when he 
leans forward, should invariably put forward one of his feet, 
as you did the other day, when you looked into Overton 
well ?” 

“ To increase his base,” answered Tom ; “ whenever I lean 
greatly forward, I should throw the line of direction beyond 
it, did I not at the same instant put out one of my feet, so as 
to extend my base, and thus to cause the line to continue 
within it.” 

“ Kightly answered; and, for the same reason, a porter 
with a load on his back leans forward to prevent his burden 
from throwing the line of direction out of the base behind. 
So the horse, in drawing a heavy weight, instinctively leans 
forward, in order to throw the whole of his weight as a coun¬ 
terbalance; and yet,” observed Mr. Seymour, “we are in 
the habit of ignorantly restraining him by a bearing-rein, in 
consequence of which he has to call in the aid of his muscles, 
by which a very unnecessary exhaustion of strength is pro¬ 
duced. Thus is it that German and French horses draw heavy 
weights with apparently greater ease to themselves, because 
the Germans tie a horse’s nose downward , while the French, 
more wisely, leave them at perfect liberty. But to proceed. 
Did you ever observe the manner in which a woman carries 
a pad of water?” 





MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


87 


“ To be sure,” said Tom; “ sbe always stretches out one 
of her arms.” 

“ The weight of the pail,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ throws 
the center of gravity on one side, and the woman, therefore, 
stretches out the opposite arm, in order to bring it back again 
into its original situation; did she not do this, she must, like 
the English draught-horses, exert her muscles as a counter¬ 
acting force, which would greatly^ increase the fatigue of the 
operation: but a pail hanging on each arm is carried without 
difficulty, because they balance each other, and the center of 
gravity remains supported by the feet.” 

“ I see,” said Louisa, “ that all you have said about the 
woman and her pail must be true; but how could she have 
learned the principle which thus enabled her to keep the cen¬ 
ter of gravity in its proper place ?” 

“ By experience. It is very unlikely that she should ever 
have heard of such a principle, any more than those people 
who pack carts and wagons, and yet make up their loads 
with such accuracy as always to keep the line of direction in, 
or near the middle of the base. But to proceed to another 
example:—have I not frequently cautioned you against jump¬ 
ing up suddenly in a boat? Can you tell me upon what 
principle such an operation must be attended with danger ?” 

“I suppose,” said Tom, “for the very same reason that a 
wagon is more likely to be overturned when its top is too 
heavily laden; it would elevate the center of gravity, and 
thereby render the line of direction liable to be thrown be¬ 
yond the base, and so upset the boat.” 

Mr. Seymour observed, that after this lesson he thought the 
balancing which Tom and Louisa had witnessed at Astley’s 
Theater last year, would cease to appear so miraculous. 
Louisa declared that she had now discovered the whole mys¬ 
tery. 

“ You have doubtless perceived,” said her father, “ that the 
art entirely consists in dexterously altering the center of 
gravity upon every new position of the body, so as constantly 
to preserve the line of direction within the base. Rope- 



88 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


dancers effect this by means of a long pole, the ends of which 
are loaded by weights, and which they hold across the rope. 
If you had paid sufficient attention to their movements, you 
must have perceived how steadily they fixed their eyes on some 
object near the rope, so as to discover the slightest deviation 
of their center of gravity to one or the other of its sides, which 
they no sooner detect, than they instantly rectify it by a coun- 
* tervailing motion of their pole, and are thus enabled to pre¬ 
serve the line of direction within the narrow base. This very 
same expedient is frequently practiced by ourselves; if we slip 
or stumble with one foot, we naturally extend the opposite arm, 
making the same use of it as the rope-dancer does of his pole. 
Many birds, also, by means of their flexible necks, vary the 
position of their center of gravity in the same manner. When 
they sleep, they turn it toward the back, and place it under 
the wing, in order to lay the greatest weight on the point 
above the feet.” 

“ What an interesting subject this is,” cried Louisa, “ and 
how many curious things it is capable of explaining!” 

“ Indeed is it; and I shall take an opportunity of pointing 
out several specimens of art which are indebted for their sta¬ 
bility to the scientific application of the principle we have 
been considering;—but I have now a paradox for you, Tom.” 

“ Let us hear it, papa.” 

How comes it that a stick, loaded with a weight at the 
upper extremity, can be kept in equilibrio, on the point of the 
finger, with much greater ease than when the weight is near 
the lower extremity; or, for instance, that a sword can be 
balanced on the finger much better when the hilt is upper¬ 
most ?” 

“ That is indeed strange. I should have thought,” replied 
Louisa, u that the'- higher the weight was placed above the 
point of support, the more readily would the fine of direction 
have been thrown beyond the base.” 

“ In that respect you are perfectly right; but the balancer 
will be able to restore it more easily in one case than in the 
other; since, for reasons which you will presently discover, 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


89 


the greater the circle which a body describes in falling, the 
less will be its tendency to fall. Look at the sketch which I 
have prepared for the explanation of this fact, and I think you 
will readily comprehend the reason of it. 

“ When the weight is at a considerable distance from the 
point of support, its center of gravity, in deviating either on 
one side or the other from a perpendicular direction, describes 
a larger circle, as at &, than when the weight is very near the 
center of rotation or the point of support, as at 5. But, in a 
large circle, an arc of any determinate extent, such as an inch, 
for example, describes a curve which deviates much less from 
the perpendicular than if the circle were less; as may be seen 
by comparing the positions of the sword at d and e ; and the 
sword at d will not have so great a tendency to deviate fur¬ 



ther from the perpendicular, as that at e ; for its tendency 
to deviate altogether from the perpendicular is greater, ac¬ 
cording as the tangent to that point of the arc, where it hap¬ 
pens to be, approaches more to the vertical position. You see 
then that it is less difficult to balance a tall, than a shorter 
pole; and it is for the same reason that a person can walk 
with greater security on high than on low stilts.” 

“ That is very clear,” said Louisa, “ although, before your 
explanation, I always associated the idea of difficulty with 
their height.” 

“ I suppose,” added Tom, “ that the whole art of walking 
on stilts may be explained by the principles you have taught 
us.” 

“ Undoubtedly it may; for the equilibrium is preserved by 
8 * 









90 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


varying the position of the body, and thus keeping the center 
of gravity within the base.” 

“ It must be a great exertion,” observed Louisa. 

“ Before custom lias rendered it familiar; after which, tnere 
is no more fatigue in walking on stilts than in walking on our 
feet. There is a district in the south of France, near Bour- 
deaux, called the Desert of Landes, which runs along the 
sea-coast between the mouths of the Adour and Gironde, 
where all the shepherds are mounted on stilts; on which they 
move with perfect freedom and astonishing rapidity; and so 
easily does habit enable them to preserve their balance, that 
they run, jump, stoop, and even dance, with ease and secu¬ 
rity.”* 

“How very odd!” said Tom; “ what can be their motive 
for such a strange habit ?” 

“Its objects,” replied'his father, “are important: to keep 
the feet out of the water, which, during the winter, is deep 
on the sands; and to defend them from the heated sand dur¬ 
ing the summer; in addition to which the sphere of vision 
over so perfect a flat is materially increased by the elevation, 
and the shepherds are thus enabled to see their flocks at a 
much greater distance.! They cannot, however, stand per¬ 
fectly still upon their stilts, without the aid of a long staff, 
which they always carry in their hands; this guards them 
against any accidental trip, and when they wish to be at 
rest, forms a third leg that keeps them steady.” 

“ I suppose,” said Louisa, “ that the habit of using these 
stilts is acquired while they are very young.” 

“ It is, my dear: and it appears the smaller the boy is, the 

* Stats also enjoyed for centuries very considerable celebrity in the city cl 
Namur. The frequent inundations of the Meuse and Sambre, which formerly 
used to flood it, led, doubtless, in the first instance to their employment; but 
that which was originally a necessity, became in the course of time an amuse¬ 
ment, and one that developed singular features. As far back as the eleventh 
century may be traced the existence of games on stflts, which gradually as¬ 
sumed a party character; and the players finally resolved themselves into 
distinct bodies, ready at all times to do battle against each other, even to the 
peril of life and limb.”— Costello's Tour through the Valley of the M&uee. 

t In Scotland stilts are used to pass rivers. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


91 


higher are his stilts; a fact which affords a practical proof of 
the truth of what I have just stated.” 

“ The stork is said, in my work on Natural History, to be 
always walking on stilts,” said Louisa; “ and yet it does not 
appear to fatigue him.” 

“ That is very true,” replied the father; “ hut you must 
remember, that nature has furnished the bird with a provi¬ 
sion, by which the legs are kept extended without any exer¬ 
tion of the muscles, in the manner of certain strings; a struc¬ 
ture which enables it to pass whole days and nights on one 
foot, without the slightest fatigue. If you will visit the cook 
the next time she trusses a fowl, you will at once perceive the 
nature and utility of this structure; upon bending the legs 
and things up toward the body, you will observe that the 
claws close of their own accord; now, this is the position of 
the limbs in which the bird rests upon its perch, and in this 
position it sleeps in safety; for the claws do then office in 
keeping hold of the support, not by any voluntary exertion, 
but by the weight of the body drawing the strings tight.” 

“ But, papa,” said Tom, “ I have yet some more questions 
to ask you on the subject of balancing. I am not at all sat¬ 
isfied about many of the tricks that we saw last year; in¬ 
deed, I cannot believe that many of those astonishing feats 
can be explained by the rules you have just given us.” 

“ I very well know to what you allude,” replied Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. “ Many singular deceptions are certainly practiced by 
removing the center of gravity from its natural into an arti¬ 
ficial situation, or by disguising its place; thus, a cylinder 
placed upon an inclined surface may be made t'o run up, in¬ 
stead of down hill. I can even appear to balance a pailful of 
water on the slender stem of a tobacco-pipe; but I shall be 
enabled to explain the nature of these deceptions by some 
toys which I have provided for your amusement, and which 
I must say you are fully entitled to possess, as a reward for 
the clear and satisfactory manner in which you have this day 
answered my questions. But see! here comes Mr. Twaddle- 
ton : he would really seem to possess an instinct that always 



92 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


brings him to the Lodge whenever I am preparing some 
amusement for you.” 

The vicar smiled as he entered the room, but, unwilling to 
interrupt the lesson, he placed his fore-finger on his lip, and, 
with a significant nod, silently took a seat at the table. The 
children laughed aloud at this cautious demeanor; and Tom 
exclaimed, “ Why, Mr. Twaddleton, our lesson is over, and 
we are going to receive some new toys as a reward.” 

“I have here,” said Mr. Seymour, as lie opened a large 
wooden box, “ a collection of figures, which will always raise 
themselves upright, and preserve the erect position; or regain 
it, whenever it may have been disturbed.” 

He then arranged these figures in battalion on the table, 
and striking them flat by drawing a rod over them, they im¬ 
mediately started up again, as soon as it was removed. 
“ These figures,” continued he, u were bought at Paris some 
years ago, under the title of Prussians .” 

“ I declare,” exclaimed the vicar, “ they remind me of the 
rebellious spirits whom Milton represents as saying that as¬ 
cent is their natural, and descent their unnatural, motion.”* 

“I have seen screens similarly constructed,” said Mrs. 
Seymour, “ which always rose up of themselves, upon the 
removal of the force that had pressed them down.” 

“ I will explain their principle,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Suppose we first examine the construction of the figure,” 
observed the vicar. “ Bless me! why it is like the poet Phi- 
lotus of Cos, who was so thin and light, that lead was fasten¬ 
ed to his shoes to prevent his being blown away.”t 

* The vicar here alludes to the speech of Moloch (Parad. Lost, b. ii. 1. 75): 

“ That in our proper motion we ascend 
Up to our native seat: descent and fall 
To us is adverse.” 

t This story is related by JElian, who at the same time discredits it, for, 
says he, “ how could he carry about a sufficient weight to prevent his being 
blown away, if he were so weak as not to be able to resist the sea breeze ?” 
This matter-of-fact way of regarding a humorous fable is exceedingly amus¬ 
ing, and reminds the author of a somewhat similar criticism upon an Ameri¬ 
can story which he had related. A traveler, after a long journey, anxiously 



♦ 


MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 93 

“The figure,” said Mr. Seymour, “is made of the pith 
of the elder-tree, which is extremely light, and is affixed 
to the half of a leaden bullet; on account, 
therefore, of the disproportion between the 
weight of the figure and that of its base, we 
may exclude the consideration of the for¬ 
mer, and confine our attention to the latter. 

The center of gravity of the hemispherical 
base is, of course, in its axis; and there¬ 
fore tends to approach the horizontal plane 
as much as possible, and this can never be 
accomplished, until the axis becomes per¬ 
pendicular to the horizon. Whenever the 
curved surface is in any other position, the center of gravity 
is not in the lowest place to which it can descend, as may be 
seen by the diagram which I have 
just sketched. If the axis a ~b be 
removed to c d, it is evident that 
the center of gravity will be raised, 
and that, if left alone, it would im¬ 
mediately descend again into its original position.” 

“ I understand it perfectly,” said Tom. “ When the axis 
a & is perpendicular, the center of gravity will be in its low¬ 
est point, or as near the earth as it can place itself; when, 

looked about for some inn wherein his jaded horse might have a bait; but all 
in vain, no such accommodation was to be found: his next attempt was to 
find a grassy spot that could afford some pasturage, but in this again he failed. 
In this dilemma his ingenuity suggested a resource, which proves, for the 
thousandth and first time, the truth of the old adage, that “Necessity is the 
mother of Inventiondrawing from his pocket a pair of green glass spectacles, 
he placed them upon the horse’s face, and led him into a carpenter’s yard, when 
the deluded animal immediately commenced his meal upon the shavings of 
wood and sawdust The absurdity of this story necessarily excited a general 
laugh, but with one exception: it was evident that one of the company did 
not sympathize with his companions, and after a few minutes of apparent ab¬ 
straction, he exclaimed,, with an air of much solemnity, “ I must beg your 
pardon, sir; but I entertain strong doubts as to the truth of your story, for I 
cannot understand how the spectacles could have been fixed on the horse’s 
nose.” So true is the saying, that “ the prosperity of a jest lies in the ear 
of him who hears it." 












PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


94 ' 


therefore, the figure is pressed down, the center of gravity is 
raised, and, consequently, on the removal of that pressure, it 
will descend to its original position, and thus raise the 
figure.” 

“ I see you understand it. Here, then,” continued Mr. 
Seymour, “ is another toy in further illustration of our sub¬ 
ject. It consists of a small fig¬ 
ure, supported on a stand by a ball, 
which is quite loose; and yet it is 
made to turn and balance itself in 
all directions, always recovering its 
erect position, when the force ap¬ 
plied to it is removed. The two 
weights, in this case, bring the cen¬ 
ter of gravity considerably below 
the point of suspension or support, 
and therefore maintain the figure 
upright, and make it resume its 
perpendicular position, after it has 
been inclined to either side; for the 
center of gravity cannot place itself as low as possible, with¬ 
out making the figure stand erect.” 

“ That is very evident,” cried Louisa. 

“ I shall next exhibit to you,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ a 
toy that furnishes a very good solution of a popular paradox 
in mechanics; viz., A body having a tendency to fall by its 
own weight , how to prevent it from falling, by adding to it a 
weight on the same side on which it tends to fall A 

“That is indeed a paradox!” exclaimed Louisa. “The 
next time I see the gardener sinking under the load of a 
heavy sack, I shall desire him to lighten his burden by doub¬ 
ling its weight.” 

“Will you, indeed, Miss Pert ? I do not think so, after you 
have seen the operation of the toy I am now about to exhibit. 
Here, you perceive, is a horse, the center of gravity of which 
would be somewhere about the middle of its body; it is, 
therefore, very evident that, if I were to place its hinder legs 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


95 


on the edge of the table, the line 
of direction would fall consid¬ 
erably beyond the base, and the 
horse must be precipitated to 
the ground ; you will, however, 
perceive that there is a stiff wire 
attached to a weight which is 
connected with the body of the 
horse, and by means of such an 
addition, the horse prances with 
perfect security at the edge of 
the precipice; so that the figure which was incapable of sup¬ 
porting itself is actually prevented from falling, by adding a 
weight to its unsupported end!” 

The children admitted the truth of this statement, and were 
not immediately prepared to explain it. 

“The weight, indeed, appears to be added on that side; 
but, in reality, it is on the opposite side,” said the vicar. 

“In order to produce the desired effect,” observed Mr. 
Seymour, “the wire must be bent, so as to throw the weight 
far back, under the table; by which contrivance, since the 
center of gravity of the whole compound figure is thrown 
into the leaden weight, the hind legs of the horse thus be¬ 
come the point of suspension, on which the ball may be made 
to vibrate with perfect security.” 

“ Mow I understand it,” cried Tom; “ instead of the weight 
supporting the horse, the horse supports the weight.” 

“Exactly so. You perceive, therefore, from these few 
examples, that the balancer, by availing himself of such 
deceptions, and combining with them a considerable degree 
of manual dexterity, may perform feats, which, at first sight, 
will appear in direct opposition to the laws of gravity. There 
is also another expedient of which the balancer avails him¬ 
self, to increase the wonder of his performances, and that is 
the influence of rotatory motion, which, you will presently 
see, may be made to counteract the force of gravity.” 

“ I remember that the most surprising of all the tricks I 






96 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


• 

witnessed was one, in which a sword was suspended on a 
key, which turned round on the end of a tobacco-pipe; on 
the top of the sword a pewter-plate was, at the same time, 
made to revolve with great velocity.” 

“ I well remember the trick to which you allude. The 
rotatory motion prevented the sword from falling, just as 
you will hereafter find the spinning of the top will preserve 
it in an erect position. There is also another effect produced 
by rotatory motion, with which it is essential that you 
should become acquainted. You no doubt remember that 
momentum, or the velocity of a body, will compensate for 
its want of matter. A number of bodies, therefore, although 
incapable of balancing each other when in a state of rest, 
may be made to do so, by imparting to them different de¬ 
grees of motion. I believe that you are now acquainted with 
all the principles upon which the art of balancing depends; 
and I have little doubt, should we again witness a perform¬ 
ance of this kind, that you will be able to explain the tricks 
which formerly appeared to you so miraculous.” 



K 


* 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST 


97 



CHAPTER V. 


THE CHINESE TUMBLERS, ILLUSTRATING THE JOINT EFFECTS OF 
OHANGE IN THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF A BODY, AND OF MOMEN¬ 
TUM.-MR. TWADDLETON’S ARRIVAL AFTER A SERIES OF ADVEN¬ 
TURES.-THE DANCING BALLS.-THE PEA-SHOOTER.-A FIGURE THAT 

DANCES ON A FOUNTAIN.-THE FLYING WITCH.-ELASTICITY.- 

SPRINGS.-THE GAME OF “ RICOCHET,” OR DUCK AND DRAKE .■'—THE 

REBOUNDING BALL.—ANIMALS THAT LEAP BY MEANS OF AN ELAS¬ 
TIC APPARATUS.-THE INDUSTRIOUS FLEAS.—A NEW SPECIES OF 

PUFFING, BY WHICH THE VICAR IS MADE TO CHANGE COUNTE¬ 
NANCE. _ 

Early on Monday morning did the young group assemble 
in the library; they had been told by Mrs. Seymour that 
their father had received a new toy of a very interesting and' 
instructive nature, and we can easily imagine the eagerness 
with which they anticipated the sight of it. 

“ I trust,” said Mr. Seymour, “ that after our late discus¬ 
sion, the subject of the center of gravity is thoroughly under¬ 
stood by yon all. I have also reason to think that the nature 

9 































98 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


and effects of what is termed momentum have been rendered 
intelligible to you.” 

“ I certainly understand both those subjects,” answered 
Tom; and so thought the rest of the party. 

“ Well, then, I will put your knowledge to the test,” ob¬ 
served Mr. Seymour, “for you shall explain to me the 
mechanism of these Chinese Tumblers .” Upon which he 
produced an oblong box, which, by opening, formed a series 
of stairs or steps, and took from a drawer at its end two gro¬ 
tesque figures (Clown and Pantaloon ), which were connected 
with each other by two poles, which they appeared in the 
attitude of carrying, pretty much in the way that the porters 
carry the poles of a sedan-chair. The foremost figure was 
then placed up on the top step, when to the great astonish¬ 
ment of the whole party, the figures very deliberately 
descended the several stairs, each turning over the other in 
succession. 

“ There was a period in our history,” observed Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour, “when so marvelous an exhibition would have sub¬ 
jected the inventor to the penalties of sorcery.” 

“ That,” remarked Mr. Seymour, “ may be said of most of 
the other inventions which I have yet in store to illustrate 
the powers conferred upon us by a knowledge of natural 
philosophy; but, as far as mechanical skill is concerned, I 
doubt whether the ancients did not even surpass us, es¬ 
pecially in the art of constructing automata; and as quicksil¬ 
ver was known in the remotest ages, I think it not improbable 
that it was one of the agents employed by them on such 
occasions. If I remember right, Aristotle describes a wooden 
Venus, which moved by means of ‘ liquid silver then, again, 
the moving tripods which Apollonius saw in the Indian 
temples—the walking statues at Antium, and in the temple 
of Hierapolis, and the wooden pigeon of Archytas,* ought 

* Upon this subject, Sir Da\id Brewster’s Introductory Letter on Natural 
Magic will be read with interest and advantage. It has also been very ably 
investigated by M. C. Magnin, in successive numbers of “ Revue des denoa 
mond.es, 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


99 


undoubtedly, to be regarded as evidences of tbeir mechanical 
resources. But let us reserve these literary questions for the 
better judgment of our worthy friend the vicar, and proceed 
to consider the mechanism of the toy before us. Tom,” con¬ 
tinued he, “ take the figures in your hand and examine 

them. ” 

Mo sooner had the young philosopher received the figures 
from the hand of his father than he declared that the tubes 
were hollow, and that he felt some liquid running backward 
and forward in them. 

“ You are quite right, my boy,” said Mr. Seymour, “they 
contain quicksilver.” 

“ Mow then I understand it,” cried Tom; “ the quicksilver 
runs down the tubes and alters the center of gravity of the 
figures, and so makes them tumble over each other.” 

“Well, I acknowledge that is no bad guess as a beginning, 
and will certainly explain the first movement; but you will 
be pleased to recollect that the instant a new center of grav¬ 
ity is thus produced the figures must remain at rest—how, 

then, will you explain then continued motion ?” 

“You said something, I think, about momentum; did you 
not, papa ?” 

“ Certainly; and to its agency the continuance of the mo¬ 
tions is to be ascribed; but I will explain the operation more 
fully.” 

Mr. Seymour then proceeded to point out the mechanism 
and movements of the toy in a manner which we shall en¬ 
deavor to convey to our readers by the aid of the annexed 
engraving. 

“ As soon as the figure A is placed upon the step D, in the 
position A B, the quicksilver, by running down the inclined 
tubes, swings the figure B round to C; and the center of 
gravity having been thus adjusted, the whole would remain 
at rest but for the contrivance to be next described. Besides 
then* connection with the poles by means of pivots, the 
figures are connected with each other by silken strings, which 
keep the figure B steadily id its position, while it traverses 



100 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 



the arc until it arrives at C, when their increased tension has 
the effect of capsizing it, and of thus producing a momen¬ 
tum, which, by carrying its center of gravity beyond the 
line of direction, causes it to descend upon the step E, when 
the quicksilver, by again flowing to the lowest part of the 
tubes, places the figures in the same position, only one step 
lower, as they were at the commencement of their action; 
and thus, by successive repetitions of the same changes, it is 
quite evident that the figures must continue to descend as 
long as any steps remain for their reception.” 

“ I understand it perfectly,” observed Louisa, with a smile 
iff satisfaction. 

“ I need scarcely say,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ that there 
are some niceties in the adjustment of the minuter parts of 
the apparatus, without which the effect could not be accom¬ 
plished ; the quantity of quicksilver, for instance, must bear 


i 





















MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


101 


its proper proportion to the weight and dimensions of the 
figure; and in order to prevent its too rapid passage along 
the inclined tubes, strings are stretched across their interior 
to retard the stream. Then, again, some management is ne¬ 
cessary with regard to the silken strings, in order to insure a 
necessary degree of tension. I will now show you,” said he, 
“a single tumbler, which will perform the same motions 
without the assistance of any tubes.” 

“But not without quicksilver,” observed Tom, “which, 
I suppose, must, in this case, be put into the body of the 
figure.” 

“You are quite right; and it is made to pass from one ex¬ 
tremity of its body to the other through a small orifice, which 
has the same effect as the strings in the tubes, in breaking 
the current and preventing its too rapid motion. In all 
other respects, the principle is the same as in the double 
figures.” 

Just as Mr. Seymour had terminated his exhibition of “ Le 
petit Gulbuteur ,” the welcome appearance of the vicar in¬ 
fused fresh spirits into the little party. 

“ My dear friends,” said Mr. Twaddleton, “ I have been 
most provokingly detained by that tiresome etymologist, Jef¬ 
frey Prybabel. I made many efforts to escape, but I was as 
a fly in a cobweb.” 

“ At all events, I am glad to find that you have not been 
strangled by Mutes. I knew Prybabel well,” observed Mr. 
Seymour, “ when he practiced as a Conveyancer in Gray’s 
Inn, and went by the nickname of the Biot Act; for, in 
such horror was he held, that, if a number of persons were 
congregated, his approach was sure to disperse them. But 
what has been the subject of your discourse ?—was the ety¬ 
mologist merely airing his vocabulary, or did he propose some 
difficult question for discussion? Be this, however, as it 
may, I will venture to say that he was, as usual, loquacious 
on the subject of mutes —dry on the use of liquids , and des¬ 
canting without end on the importance of a termination .” 

“Mr. Seymour, I am really and truly ashamed of you; 

9 * 



102 


PHILOSOPHY IN' SPORT 


punning under any circumstances is a most vexatious habit, 
but when employed to distort the meaning of language it 
becomes absolutely criminal.” 

To turn the subject of this discourse, the vicar proceeded 
to inform Mr. Seymour that he had no sooner escaped from 
the fangs of Prybabel than he encountered Polyphemus . 
Our readers may, perhaps, wonder who this Polyphemus 
could have been; we must, therefore, inform them that Mr. 
Twaddleton, whose ideas were always tinctured with classi¬ 
cal coloring, had bestowed this appellation upon the renown¬ 
ed Dr. Doseall, the Esculapius of Overton, because, as he 
said, his practice was like the Cyclops, strong lout blind ; and 
Mr. Seymour declared that the similitude was even more 
perfect than the vicar had contemplated, for he observed that 
he certainly fattened upon the unhappy victims who fell with¬ 
in his clutches. 

With all our respect for the liberality of Mr. Seymour and 
the kind-heartedness of the vicar, we must, in justice to this 
respectable son of Apollo, express our disapprobation at so 
unprovoked a sarcasm. We acknowledge that Dr. Doseall, 
by the aid of low bows and high charges—of little ailments 
and large potions, had contrived to secure a very comfortable 
balance on the creditor side of his worldly ledger. We also 
admit, that after the example of other celebrated practition¬ 
ers, he had one sovereign remedy, which he administered in 
every disease. But what of that ? he was often successful in 
his cures—-that is to say, his patients sometimes recovered 
after they had taken his physic; and is not that the test con¬ 
ventionally received in proof of the skill or ignorance of 
greater physicians than Dr. Doseall ? Mor can we persuade 
ourselves into the belief, that a doctor who faithfully adheres 
to one single remedy, is less likely to be right than those rest¬ 
less spirits who are eternally coquetting with all the prepar¬ 
ations of the Pharmacopoeia without ever remaining steady 
to any one of them. It has been truly remarked that the 
clock which stands still and points steadfastly in one direc¬ 
tion, is certain of being right twice in the twenty-four hours, 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


103 


while others may keep going continually, and as continually 
going wrong. Being ourselves no doctors, we merely throw 
out this hint for the consideration of those who are learned 
in such matters; hut we beg pardon of our readers for this 
digression. 

“ Well,” said Mr. Seymour, “ I am, at all events, rejoiced 
to see our Trojan in safety, after such perilous adventures; 
and I hope that he is now prepared to set sail again with us, 
on a new voyage of discovery. I have been engaged,” con¬ 
tinued he, “in explaining still further the nature of momen¬ 
tum, and I now propose to exhibit an experiment of a differ¬ 
ent kind, in order to illustrate the same subject. You, no 
doubt, remember,” continued Mr. Seymour, “that velocity 
makes up for weight; and therefore, although a fluid, as air, 
or water, may, in a state of quiescence, be unable to support 
a body, yet, by giving it a certain velocity, it may acquire a 
sustaining power. I have here several gilded pith-balls, 
through one of which I have run two pins, at right angles to 
each other: the naked points, you perceive, are defended with 
sealing-wax, to prevent any mischief that might arise from 
their accidentally coming into contact with your face. By 
means of this brass tube (the stem of a tobacco-pipe will an¬ 
swer the same purpose), I shall produce a current of air by 
my breath, and you will observe that the little ball will con¬ 
tinue to dance, as if unsupported.” 

Mr. Seymour then placed the pith-ball at the end of the 
pipe, and, inserting its other extremity in his mouth, blew 
out the ball, which immediately rose in the air, and contin¬ 
ued to float about for several seconds: he then drew in his 
breath, and caught it with much address on one of its points ; 
and in this manner, alternately floating and catching it, did 
he continue to delight the wondering group for several 
minutes. 

Tom received the tube and ball from the hand of his fa¬ 
ther, and soon succeeded in playing with it. Observe, gentle 
reader, the address with which the boy manages it. 

“ This reminds me of my pea-shooter,” said Tom, as ne 



104 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


removed the tube from his mouth, “ with 
which I have often shot a pea across the 
play-ground.” 

“ Exactly; and you will now under¬ 
stand the nature of the force by which 
your pea was projected. The air blown 
from the lungs gains such momentum 
from the contracted channel in which 
it flows, as to impart considerable velo¬ 
city to the pea placed within the influ¬ 
ence of its current.” 

Mrs. Seymour observed that she had lately read in Water- 
ton’s “ Wanderings in South America” a very interesting ac¬ 
count of the Indian blow-pipe, which the natives of Guiana 
employ as an engine for projecting their poisoned arrows, and 
which owes its power to the principle of which Mr. Seymour 
had just spoken, and its unerring accuracy to the skillful 
address of the Indian who uses it. 

u Mr. Seymour,” said the vicar, 11 1 much like your experi¬ 
ment with the pith-halls; hut do tell me the use of the pins 
that are passed through them.” 

“ They are not absolutely necessary for the success of the 
experiment; indeed, I ought to have stated that their only 
use is to insure the elevation of the hall to a certain distance 
above the orifice of the tube, before it is set adrift.” 

“ l JVe turbata volent rapidis ludibria ventis ,’ as Yirgil has 
it. I duly appreciate the contrivance; but if the hall was set 
off at a distance from the orifice, such an expedient would he 
unnecessary.” 

u Certainly,” answered Mr. Seymour; “ I will soon con¬ 
vince you that, under the condition you propose, the pins are 
not essential.” 

So saying, he placed the tube in his mouth, and by carefully 
holding the hall at a distance of about half an inch from its 
orifice, he was enabled to consign it at once to a continuous 
and steady stream of air, which can never he commanded at 
the point from which the air issues; and he thus succeeded 


+ 






MADE SCIENCE IN EAENEST. 


105 


in sustaining the ball in motion, in the same manner as he did 
in the preceding experiment.” 

“We will now proceed to the orchard,” said Mr. Seymour, 
“ where I have prepared another pleasing exhibition of a sim¬ 
ilar description.” 

The party accordingly left the Lodge, and when they had 
arrived at the fountain, their father produced a small wooden 
figure, of which the annexed is a sketch. Within its base was 
fixed a hollow sphere, or ball of thin copper, which when 
properly adjusted on a fountain, or jet d'eau, 
was sustained by the momentum produced 
by the velocity of the stream; so that the 
whole figure was balanced, and made to 
dance on the fountain, as the pith-ball had 
been made to play in the current of air. 

The children were much gratified at wit¬ 
nessing so curious an exhibition. Mr. Twad- 
dleton laughed heartily at the ludicrous 
effect it produced, and observed that, al¬ 
though he had never before seen the exper¬ 
iment, he had frequently heard of it; and 
he added, that he understood it to be a very 
common toy in Germany and Holland. 

“ I have for some time,” said Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour, “been trying to construct a light 
figure of this kind, which shall dance on a 
current of air; and I believe I have at 
length succeeded. The head I have formed of the seed-vessel 
of the Antirrhinum , which has a striking resemblance to a 
face, and possesses, moreover, the indispensable condition of 
lightness. The dress is made of silver paper, stretched over 
a cone of the same material. From its appearance I have 
named it the Flying Witch.” 

‘ I admire your ingenuity,” said Mr. Seymour, “ and I have 
no reason to doubt the success of your enterprise.’ 

“ I found it convenient,” continued Mrs. Seymour, “ to 
place a stage of card below the orifice of the tube, in order to 
















106 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


steady the figure as she rises, and to receive her as she 
falls.” 

“ Your principal care,” observed her husband, “ must be to 
throw the oenter of gravity of the figure as low as possible, 
and which you may readily accomplish by shot suspended by 
silken strings from the base of the figure.” 

On the party returning to the library, Mr. Seymour ex¬ 
pressed a wish that, before they suspended their morning’s 
recreations, they should take into consideration a peculiar 
property of matter, winch they had not yet discussed. 

“ And what may that be?” asked Louisa. 

“Elasticity,” replied her father; “and I wish to hear 
whether Tom can explain to us the meaning of the term.” 

Tom very well knew what was meant by Elasticity; but 
he was like many a merchant with a bill of exchange, who, 
although well acquainted with its value, has not sufficient 
small change to cash it. Tom wanted words to enable him 
to furnish a clear definition; his father, therefore, kindly re¬ 
lieved his embarrassment, by informing him that “it was a 
property inherent in certain bodies, by which they possessed 
a disposition to have their form altered by force or pressure, 
and to recover it on the removal of that pressure, throwing 
off the striking body with some degree of force: for example,” 
continued he, “ the cane which I hold in my hand can be 
bent to a certain extent, and then, if I let it go, it will im¬ 
mediately return to its former condition with considerable 
force.” 

Louisa inquired whether bending and pressing upon a body 
were the same thing. Mr. Seymour replied, that the form of 
an elastic body might be altered either by compression or dis¬ 
tension, and that lending was, in fact, only a combination of 
these two methods; “ for,” said he, “ when a straight body, 
like my cane, is bent, those particles of it which are on the 
one side are compressed, while those on the other are dis¬ 
tended. But let us proceed with the subject. I have said 
that elastic bodies, on returning to. their original form, throw 
off the striking body with some degree of force. I have 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


107 


here,” continued Mr. Seymour, taking out of liis pocket a 
wooden image of a cat, “ a toy which I intend as a gift to 
John; it will serve to illustrate our subject. The tail, you 
perceive, is movable, one of its ends being tied to a piece of 
catgut, which is a highly elastic substance. When I bend the 
tail under the body of the animal, I necessarily twist the 
string; and by pressing the other end of the wooden tail upon 
a piece of wax, I can retain it for a few seconds in that situ¬ 
ation.” 

Mr. Seymour, having fixed the tail in the manner above 
described, placed the wooden image on the ground, when, in 
a few seconds, it suddenly sprang forward, to the great de¬ 
light of the younger children. 

“ Can you explain this action ?” asked Mr. Seymour. 

“ The wax,” answered Tom, “ was incapable of holding the 
end of the tail longer than a few seconds; and as soon as it 
was let loose, the elasticity of the catgut enabled it to return 
to its former condition ; in doing which the tail struck with 
force against the ground, which threw off the body of the cat 
and produced the leap.” 

u Very well explained; and you, no doubt, will readily per¬ 
ceive that the operation of steel, springs depends upon the 
same principle of elasticity: a piece of wire or steel, coiled 
up, may be made to set a machine in motion by the endeavor 
it makes to unbend itself. This is the principle of the spring 
in a watch. When our watches are what is termed down , 
this steel has uncoiled itself; and the operation of winding 
them up, is nothing more than that of bending it again for 
action. If the elasticity of a body be perfect” added Mr. 
Seymour, “ it will restore itself with a force equal to that with 
which it was compressed. As I have given John a toy, it is 
but fair that I should reward you, Tom : open that box, and 
examine the gift which it contains.” 

Tom received the present from his father, and proceeded to 
open the lid, when, to his great astonishment, the figure of an 
old witch suddenly sprang upward. Mr. Seymour explained 
its mechanism, by stating “ that the figure contained a wire 



108 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


coiled up like a cork-screw, and which, upon the removal of 
the pressure of the lid which confined it, immediately regained 
its original form.” 

Tom inquired what kind of bodies was most elastic. He 
was informed that the air was the most elastic of all known 
substances, and had, for that reason, been distinguished by 
the name of an elastic fluid. Hard bodies were so in the 
next degree; while soft substances which easily retain im¬ 
pressions, such as clay, wax, &c., might be considered as pos¬ 
sessing but little elasticity. 

u I should have thought,” said Louisa, “ that neither clay 
nor wax had possessed any elasticity.” 

“ My love, we know not any bodies that are absolutely, or 
perfectly, either hard, soft, or elastic ; since all partake of 
these properties, more or less, in some intermediate degree. 
Liquids are certainly the least elastic of all bodies; and, until 
lately, water was regarded as being perfectly inelastic ;* but 
recent experiments have shown it capable of compression, and 
of restoring itself to its original bulk, as soon as the pressure 
is removed; it must, therefore, possess some elasticity. In¬ 
deed,” said Mr. Seymour, “ we might have anticipated such a 
result from the effects which present themselves in the well- 
known game of ‘ Ricochet ,’ or Duck and, Drake” 

“ Duck and Drake /” exclaimed Louisa; “ for goodness’ 
sake, what can that game be ?” 

“ I dare say your brother will not have any difficulty in 
explaining it to you.” 

Tom informed her that it was a game of water-skimming , 
in which any number of boys threw a stone, an oyster-shell, 
or a flat piece of tile, into the water; and that he whose 
stone rebounded the greatest number of times was the con¬ 
queror. 

“ It is a very ancient game,” said Mr. Seymour, “ and had 
the vicar been present, we should have heard a learned dis¬ 
quisition upon it; as he, however, is unfortunately absent, I 

* The comparative inelasticity of water will be shown hereafter. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


109 


must tell you all I know upon the subject. It was called by 
the Greeks EpostraMsmos ,* and was anciently played with 
flat shells. Now it is evident that the water must, under cer¬ 
tain conditions, possess some degree of elasticity, or the stone 
could not rebound; but I shall have occasion to revert to the 
subject hereafter.” 

“And are my marbles elastic?” asked Tom. 

“ Undoubtedly; but not to the same extent as your ball. 
There,” said Mr. Seymour, throwing his ball against the wall, 
44 see how it rebounds.” 

44 The return of the ball,” observed Tom, “was, I suppose, 
owing to its elasticity ; and I now understand why one filled 
with air rebounds so much better than one stuffed with bran 
or wool.” 

“You are quite right; and the return of the ball, after 
having struck the wall, affords an example of what is termed 
reflected motion, upon which I shall have to remark when 
we come to the interesting subject of 4 Compound Forces 
but at present, my only wish is to render the property of 
elasticity intelligible to you. It is a force of very extensive 
application; there is scarcely a machine wherein the elasticity 
of one or more solids is not essentially concerned. Nature, 
also, avails herself of this property to accomplish many of her 
purposes. Fleas and locusts are enabled to jump two hun¬ 
dred times the height of their own bodies by means of a 
springy membrane, easily visible by a microscope; so that, 
supposing the same relative force to be infused into the body 
of a man six feet high, he would be enabled to leap three 
times the height of St. Paul’s. The hinder legs of the flea are 
also much longer than the fore ones; when about to leap it 
bends them toward the body, and then, by suddenly extend¬ 
ing them, effects the leap. The 4 Industrious Fleas' lately 
exhibited in London, were deprived of this power by having 
the hinder legs amputated at the knee-joint.” 

44 1 suppose,” said Tom, 44 that it is by some such spring 


* Pollux, lib. ix. c. 7; also in Minucius Felix, Lugd. Bat. 1652, p. 3. 
10 



110 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


shrimps are enabled to leap to the tops of cataracts, as I have 
read in my work on Natural History.” 

“ Many species of fish are thus enabled to leap, by bending 
their bodies strongly, and then suddenly unbending them with 
an elastic spring; and the long-tailed cray-fish, and the com¬ 
mon shrimp, leap by extending them tails, after they have 
been bent under their bodies :—hut the most striking exam¬ 
ple of tins kind is the leap of the salmon; just under the cat¬ 
aract, and against the stream, lie will rush for some yards, 
and rise perpendicularly out of the spray twelve or fourteen 
feet; and, amidst the noise of the water, he may be heard 
striking against the rock with a sound like the clapping of 
hands; if he find a temporary lodgment on the shelving rock, 
he will lie quivering and preparing for another summerset, 
until he reaches the top of the cataract; thus at once ex¬ 
hibiting the elasticity of his bones and the power of his mus¬ 
cles.” 

“Nature also avails herself of this property for accomplish¬ 
ing many purposes in the vegetable kingdom; the regular 
dispersion and sowing of the seeds of several plants is effected 
by a spring, which is wound sometimes round the outside, 
and sometimes round the inside of the case in which the 
seeds are contained.”* 

“ We will now conclude our diversions,” said Mr. Seymour, 
with an exhibition of a very striking description. Here,” 
cried he, as he removed a small piece of apparatus from a 
box which stood on the table, “ is a toy, at which the stern¬ 
est philosopher, nay, even Heraclitus, of weeping memory, 
could not refrain from laughing.” 

He then displayed a small hall of india-rubber, on which 
was painted an exact resemblance of the worthy vicar, exe¬ 
cuted under the direction of Mr. Seymour, by that inimitable 
artist, George Cruikshank. The ball was connected with an 
air-syringe, by which it was easily distended. It gradually 
increased in magnitude, swelling, like the gourd of Jonah, as 
the inflation proceeded, and the countenance of the vicar 
progressively enlarged to the size of the full moon, without 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


Ill 


the least alteration in the character or expression of his fea¬ 
tures. 

“Ideclare,” said Mr. Seymour, “the vicar improves upon 
acquaintance .” 

“ It must be acknowledged that you have puffed him into 
consequence,” observed Mrs. Seymour. 

The countenance had, after a short time, swelled to ten 
times its original dimensions : the children deafened Mr. Sey¬ 
mour with their shouts, and the good-humored clergyman 
was actually convulsed with laughter. The stop-cock was 
now turned; the elastic bladder became smaller and smaller, 
and the features underwent a corresponding diminution, un¬ 
til they once again assumed their original dimensions. 

“You perceive, my dear sir, that I make you loolc small 
again.” 

“ That is by no means an unusual effect of your jokes,” 
replied the vicar. 

“blow, Tom,” said his father, “ it is for you to explain the 
nature of the exhibition you have just witnessed.” 

Tom proceeded accordingly. 

“ The bladder was highly elastic, and therefore readily 
yielded to the pressure of the air, and became distended. 
As soon, however, as the pressure was removed, the air was 
driven out again with force, and the particles of indian-rub- 
ber returned to their former condition. But I observed one 
circumstance which I do not understand,” said Tom: “ when 
you first turned the stop-cock, the air rushed out with great 
violence, and the ball diminished very rapidly; but it grad¬ 
ually slackened, until, at last, the bi adder could scarcely be 
seen to contract.” 

“I rejoice to find that you were so observant,” said his 
father: “ the effect you noticed depended upon a general law 
of elasticity. Elastic bodies, in the recovery of their forms 
from a state of compression, after the removal of the com¬ 
pressing force, exert a greater power at first than at last, so 
that the whole progress of restoration is a retarded motion.” 

The vicar, who had listened with profound attention to the 



112 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


explanation which, the hoy had offered, rushed forward at its 
conclusion, and clasping him in his arms, declared, that a 
first-class man of Trinity could not have succeeded better. 

“ But let us now, if you please, Mr. Seymour, suspend our 
researches: recollect,” said the vicar, “ that your birds are, as 
yet, scarcely fledged; and they will, therefore, make greater 
advances by short flights frequently repeated, than by unin¬ 
terrupted progression.” 

We heartily concur in this opinion, and shall, therefore, 
terminate the chapter. 





* MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


113 


CHAPTER VI. 

THE ARRIVAL OF MAJOR SNAPWELL, AND THE BUSTLE IT OCCASIONED. 

-THE MAIDEN LADIES OF OVERTON PERPLEXED, BUT NOT SUBDUED. 

-THE VICAR’S INTERVIEW WITH THE STRANGER.—THE OBJECT OF 

THE LATTER IN VISITING OVERTON.-A CURIOUS DISCUSSION.-A 

WORD OR TWO ADDRESSED TO FOX-HUNTERS.—VERBAL CORRUP¬ 
TIONS.-SOME GEOMETRICAL DEFINITIONS.-AN INSTRUCTIVE ENIGMA. 


As the maiden ladies of Overton were regaling themselves 
with a sociable dish of tea and chat, the conversation was 
abruptly interrupted by the appearance of a chariot-and-four, 
that passed along the road with luxurious speed, and which, 
as Miss Kitty Ryland declared, announced, by the dignified 
suavity of its roll, that the personage it conveyed must be of 
superior rank. 

“ Those,” exclaimed she, “ who cannot at once distinguish 
such 4 spirit-stirring’ sounds from the discordant rattle, of a 
plebeian chaise, deserve to wear the ears of Midas.” 

This extraordinary subtlety of Miss Ryland’s ears is said 
to have been conferred upon them in her early days by those 
universal promoters of bodily vigor, air and exercise , of which 
they had received the combined advantage by the ingenious 
habit of listening to whispers through a certain pneumatic 
apparatus, familiarly termed a keyhole. In further proof of 
the fidelity and alertness of her auditory establishment, we 
may just state that, on passing Doseall’s shop, she never fail¬ 
ed to distinguish, by the sound of the mortar, whether the 
medicines under preparation were designed for the stomachs 
of the rich or the poor. The vicar even admitted the cor¬ 
rectness of her discrimination, for he had himself observed 

10 * 




114 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


that the pestle heat dactyls in one case, and spondees in the 
other. 

While the carriage was passing the window, the maiden 
companions were breathless with wonder, each catching a 
glance from the countenance of her neighbor, which, height¬ 
ened, as it were, by reflection, the surprise depicted on her 
own. 

“ Overton,” exclaimed Miss Noodleton, u is doubtless by 
this time honored by the arrival of some distinguished stran¬ 
ger ; but who he is, or what may be the object of his visit, I 
am at a loss to divine.” 

“Pooh!” cried Miss Puttie; “ what a fuss is here about a 
green carriage and four hack-horses! I doubt not but that it 
has conveyed some visitor to the vicar: had the Seymours 
expected any company, I must have heard of it yesterday.” 

“To the'vicar!” exclaimed Miss Phyllis Tapps; “and 
pray, Miss Puttie, allow me to ask whether you ever heard 
of the peacock nestling with the crow ?” 

“ Or of the eagle taking up its abode in an ivy-bush ?” vo¬ 
ciferated Miss By land. 

Conjectures were vain, and the party determined to resolve 
itself into a committee* of inquiry. In the first place, it was 
judged expedient to see and question Ralph Spindle, whom 
Dr. Doseall employed on the arrival of a stranger, as certain 
insects are said to use their ‘ feelers' 1 to discover the approach 
of any prey that may serve them as food. 

The stranger was soon discovered to be a Major Snapwell, 
a rich and eccentric old bachelor, who had served in various 
campaigns in different parts of the globe, and received a com¬ 
petent number of wounds, in the defense of his king and 
country. His income was reported to be large, and it was 
said that he had not any near relative to enjoy the reversion, 
since his nephew had perished about two years before by 
shipwreck. The circumstances that led to this disastrous 
event were believed to have so affected the veteran, as to 
have occasioned a very serious illness, and a consequent state 
of despondency, for which his physicians advised a constant 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


115 


change of scene; so that he had been rambling about the 
Continent during the last year and a half, accompanied only 
by his faithful servant, Jacob Watson, who was as much at¬ 
tached to the Major as was ever a Newfoundland dog to his 
master. 

Such was the information derived from Annette, the vicar’s 
housekeeper: what proportion of fiction was mingled with 
its truth, the reader will probably soon be able to discover. 
It is, however, necessary he should be early informed that 
this veteran officer received his education at Harrow, and 
had afterward extended his classical scholarship at Cambridge, 
where he was remembered as the successful candidate for the 
Seatonian Prize Poem. 

“ Well, Jacob,” said the Major, as his trusty but asthmatic 
valet was leisurely buttoning on the long gaiters of his mas¬ 
ter the morning after his arrival, u what do you hear about 
this village of Overton ? Are there any sociable neighbors ? 
I like the country; it is beautiful, Jacob, and the air appears 
mild: it promises to be the very place to rekindle the sparks 
of my expiring constitution; and should you, at the same 
time, get your broken-winded bellows mended, my . vital 
flame might, perhaps, burn a little ^rigliter. But tell me, 
what do you hear of it, Jacob ?” 

“ Why, and please you, Major, I just now met an old crony 
of mine, Mrs. Annette Brown, at the Devil and the Bag of 
Hails—” 

“And pray, Jacob,” exclaimed the Major, “who taught 
you to speak thus irreverently of the village blacksmith?” 

“ The village blacksmith! Lord love you, Sir, it is the sign 
of the village alehouse!” 

“ Then it is a very odd one; but go on with your story.” 

“As I was saying, Major, I met an old acquaintance who 
is housekeeper to Mr. Twaddleton, a bachelor gentleman, and 
the vicar of the parish. She tells me her master is down¬ 
right adored in the place: though he must needs be a queer 
mortal, for she says he is so fond of antics that he won’t suf¬ 
fer a mop or broom in his house, lest, I suppose, it should 



116 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


spoil the hopping of the fleas, and put an end to the fly’s 
rope-dance npon a cobweb.” 

“Jacob, Jacob, you are a wag, and had better go and offer 
your services to this merry parson; although, I fear, your 
asthmatic pipes would prove but a sorry accompaniment to 
his capering. But pshaw!—fiddlestick!—stuff and nonsense! 
—who ever heard of a vicar bemg fond of antics?—you are 
imposed upon, Jacob.” 

u I am sure that how Annette told me as much. Ay, and 
she said he had all sorts of curosities in his parlor—such as 
grinning faces, dogs with three heads, rusty swords, and I do 
not know what besides.” 

“ I see it!—see it all plainly!” exclaimed the Major; “ and 
your story has so delighted me that I could almost dance my¬ 
self.” This respectable clergyman, thought he, is, doubtless, 
an antiquary, a virtuoso—what a delightful companion will 
he prove! And a bachelor like myself!—what tete-a-tetes 
do I anticipate! 

“Jacob,” exclaimed the Major, “you should have said 
that the vicar was fond of, or, to speak more correctly, de¬ 
voted to antiques , not to antics. But, tell me whether there 
are any other agreeably persons in this village ?” 

“ There’s the squire and his family,” answered the valet. 

“ The name, the name, Jacob ?” 

“ Squire Seymour, and please you, Major.” 

“Seymour, Seymour!” repeated the Major; “I seem 
to know that name—let me remember—surely he was of 
Trinity ?” 

The Major’s cogitations, however, were abruptly cut short 
by the entrance of the servant-maid, who informed him that 
Mr. Vicar Twaddleton had called. 

“ I beg that Mr. Twaddleton may be admitted—Jacob, 
place a chair.” 

“ Mr. Twaddleton,” said the Major, as he advanced toward 
the door to meet his visitor, “ I feel obliged and honored by 
your kind attention. As a perfect stranger, I could scarcely 
have expected this civility; but your village, surrounded as it 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


117 


is by all the softer charms of Nature, is calculated to impress 
the hearts of its inhabitants with a kindred amenity. The 
inhabitants are, doubtless, much attached to their country.” 

“Proverbially so: never was Ulysses more attached to his 
Ithaca!” 

“ Nor, if I may judge from my kind reception,” observed 
the Major, “was Telemachus more courteous to strangers!” 

“We all rejoice at the arrival of visitors,” continued Mr. 
Twaddleton; “ and as vicar of the parish of Overton, I should 
consider myself criminally deficient in my duty were I to 
suffer a respectable stranger to depart from us without his 
having received the mark of my respect, and the tender of my 
humble but cordial hospitality. I am an old-fashioned per¬ 
son, Major Snap well, and am well aware that these antiqua¬ 
ted notions do not altogether accord with the cold and stu¬ 
died forms of the present day.” 

“Mr. Twaddleton,” exclaimed the delighted Major, “I 
thank thee, most heartily thank thee, in the name of all those 
whose hearts have not yet been benumbed by worldly indif¬ 
ference. Sit thee down—I abhor ceremony—and let me beg 
of you not to take offence at a question to which I am most 
anxious you should give me an answer. Are you, my dear 
Sir, as I have just reasons for supposing, an Antiquary ?” 

“ I am undoubtedly attached to pursuits which might have 
favored such a report.” 

“ I thought so; I guessed as much. Then give me your 
hand; we must be friends and associates. If there be a pur¬ 
suit on earth to which I am devotedly attached, it is that of 
antiquities; and, let me add,” continued the Major with in¬ 
creasing animation, for, like bottled beer, he was the brisker 
for warmth, “ that if there be a literary character to whom 
the professor of arms ought to feel superior gratitude, it is to 
the antiquary. How many victories, what valiant deeds 
must have perished in the memory of mankind, but for the 
kind offices of the virtuoso, under whose vivifying touch the 
laurels of the victor, thus rescued from the scythe of Time, 
have bloomed with renovated vigor, while the splendid tro- 



118 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


phies of his achievements must have been scattered as dust to 
the winds, had he not collected their remains, and piously de¬ 
posited them in his mausoleum for their preservation!” 

It were difficult to say, whether astonishment at the Ma¬ 
jor’s warmth, delight at the congenial sentiments he had ex¬ 
pressed, or admiration at the language in which they had 
been conveyed, was the feeling predominant in the vicar’s 
mind, nor do we deem it necessary to inquire; suffice it to 
say, that, from the conversation of a few minutes, these two 
gentlemen felt incited to a mutual regard by sympathy and 
congeniality of soul; so true is it that, while we may he 
strangers with the companions of years, we may become 
friends with the strangers of yesterday! 

“ Major Snap well,” said the vicar, “I may truly mark this 
day in the diary of my life in red letters; your society will 
add to my happiness, by extending the sphere of my literary 
intercourse. When may I expect the pleasure of your com¬ 
pany at the vicarage ? I am really impatient to show you 
my coins and a few dainty morsels of virtu.” 

“I shall be at your service to-morrow,” answered the Ma¬ 
jor ; u but I must now say something about my plans, for it 
is possible that you may assist me in carrying them into exe¬ 
cution.” 

“ Command me,” said the vicar. 

“For my present purpose, it is only necessary to state, that 
I have a nephew whom I have adopted as my son; I super¬ 
intended his education; he arrived at manhood, and beeame 
an accomplished scholar and a polished gentleman. Naturally 
anxious to visit the ancient mistress of the world, he readily 
obtained my approbation of his plan. He embarked at Mar¬ 
seilles ; but, meeting with one of those treacherous gales so 
characteristic of the Mediterranean, he was shipwrecked in 
the bay of Genoa. For three years did I mourn him as dead, 
and it was only by a train of circumstances of the most ex¬ 
traordinary description that I at length discovered that he 
had escaped from the cave of some Calypso, and was in per¬ 
fect health. I will not now trouble yon with the details of 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


119 


this most singular history; suffice it to say he is well, and 
about to be married to a young lady for whom he has long 
entertained the purest attachment. I am in search of a coun¬ 
try residence for them, and hearing that a Sir Thomas Soth- 
erby, a resident, I understand, in your neighborhood, is most 
desirous of disposing of Osterley Park, and offers many ad¬ 
vantages to any one who will take it off his hands, and as I 
have both the inclination and the means to become its pos¬ 
sessor, I have traveled hither for the purpose of inspecting it. 
So now you have my history.” 

“It is perfectly true,” said the vicar, “that Sir Thomas is 
willing to make a considerable sacrifice in order to obtain an 
immediate purchaser. The health of her Ladyship is in so 
precarious a state that her physicians have ordered her to 
proceed, without delay, to Madeira. Sir Thomas, Major, is a 
fox-hunter, and I will venture to say that no one will miss 
him but the doctor and the foxes—the one will lose a profit¬ 
able friend, the other a relentless enemy — 1 Gaudet equis et 
canibusj as the poet has it.” 

“Indeed! but I am no fox-hunter, and I therefore fear 
that, in the opinion of the country, Osterley Park will not 
exchange its proprietor to advantage. Pray, vicar, may I 
ask whether you are addicted to field-sports ?” 

“Addicted to field-sports!” repeated the reverend anti¬ 
quary : “ I am surprised, mortified ! I—I, the Yicar of Over- 
ton, and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, addicted to 
field-sports!” 

“May, Mr. Twaddleton,” observed the Major, “ I am really 
sorry that I should have unintentionally excited your dis¬ 
pleasure. I am not aware that there is any thing in the inno¬ 
cent pastime to which I have alluded inconsistent with your 
station and acquirements. As an antiquary, I need hardly 
remind you that the fathers of the Church were among the 
keenest sportsmen. Do you not remember the amusing por¬ 
trait which Chaucer has given us of a sporting monastic in 
the 14th century, and which, by the by, was the model from 
which Sir Walter Scott drew the character of his Abbot in 



120 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


‘Ivanhoe?’ Need I call to your recollection the fame of 
Walter, Archdeacon of Canterbury, who was promoted to 
the see of Rochester in 1147, and who is said not only to 
have spent the whole of his time in hunting, but to have been 
as keen a sportsman at eighty as he was at twenty years of 
age? Then again, there was Reginald Brian, translated to 
the see of Worcester in 1352 ; and William de Clowne, whom 
his biographer celebrated as the most amiable ecclesiastic that 
ever filled the abbot’s throne of St. Mary’s in Leicestershire, 
the most knowing sportsman after a hare in the kingdom; 
insomuch, indeed, that Richard II. allowed him an annual 
pension for his instructions in the art ? As a classical scholar, 
too, you must be acquainted with the many elegant treatises, 
both in prose and verse, which have been transmitted to us 
by the ancients in praise of this recreation, as, for example, 
those of Xenophon, Oppian, Grotius, and the younger Pliny; 
the latter of whom you may remember attributes to it his 
recovery from a dangerous illness.” 

“ Major Snapwell, antiquity can no more privilege error, 
than novelty can prejudice truth,” exclaimed the vicar: u be¬ 
sides which, sir, I never could discover the principle upon 
which the pleasure of this said diversion of Diana can depend; 
and yet I do assure you, sir, that I have not failed to submit 
the question to a logical examination. Thus, for instance:— 
the fox emits from his body certain odorous particles;—that 
is my major, and I say concedo : very well; I proceed. The 
structure of the olfactory organs of the canine species enables 
them to perceive this said odor : that is my minor , and I say 
again concedo . But I should much like to be informed how 
any logician can defend the consequence which is deduced 
from these premises. To speak syllogistically, why am I 
pleased to put my neck in jeopardy, because mj dogs happen 
to perceive a smell ?” 

The Major laughed heartily at the very ludicrous point of 
view in which the worthy vicar had thought proper to repre¬ 
sent the subject, observing that ridicule was the usual resort of 
those who were beaten in argument * and he reminded him 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


121 


that Aristophanes was thus enabled to put down even Socra¬ 
tes, and that Cervantes, by his Don Quixote, succeeded in 
suppressing that extravagant passion for chivalrous romances 
in the 17th century, which had resisted every stern appeal to 
reason. Then- discourse now took a different turn. The 
Major inquired what might be the origin of the singular sign 
of the village inn—“ The Devil and the Bag of Nails t" 
“ Satan,” continued the Major, u is unquestionably the patron 
of the public-house; but why he should be represented as 
holding in his hand a bag of nails, I cannot divine, unless; 
indeed, in reference to the old adage, that 1 Every glass of 
spirit is a nail in your coffin.' " 

u Ha! ha! ha! whimsical enough,” cried the vicar; “but, 
unfortunately, your explanation is not the true one. The 
sign,” observed Mr. Twaddleton, “ is not quite so uncommon 
as you seem to suppose; it was originally ‘ Pan and his 
Bacchanals' but, by a very natural transition, the figure of 
the sylvan deity, which is certainly terrific* enough to sanc¬ 
tion the mistake, has passed into that of the evil tempter; 
while the word Bacchanals , by one of those verbal corrup¬ 
tions so common in all languages, has been converted into 
the hag of nails." 

“Very true,” said the Major; “whenever the vulgar are 
incapable of understanding the meaning of a word, they are 
sure to substitute for it some one which has the nearest re¬ 
semblance to it in sound, and which is more familiar to them. 
I had but just now an excellent instance of this kind; my 
blundering servant Jacob insisted upon it you were fond of 
antics ; and before I left London, on sending him out to pur¬ 
chase a Court Calendar, what do you suppose he brought 
home?—a Quart Colander!" 

The vicar was much amused by the absurdity of the mis- 

* To the terror-inspiring power of Pan we owe the word “ Panic.'' 1 The 
classical reader will remember that at the battle of Marathon, Pan is said to 
have appeared, like Theseus, on the side of the Greeks, smiting the Persians 
with that irresistible fear—a Panic , in gratitude for which the worship of Pan 
was introduced at Athens, 


11 



122 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


take, and took occasion to observe that the Greeks had the 
same unfortunate turn of reducing every unknown term to 
some word with which they were better acquainted, and 
which, according to Jacob Bryant, had produced the great¬ 
est confusion in ancient mythology. 

“I lately heard,” continued the Major, “ of a "Welsh squire, 
who, upon being questioned whether Socimanism or Avian- 
ism prevailed in his district, replied that he could not answer 
that question, but that he knew there had been a great deal 
of Rheumatism 

“ As we are upon this subject,” said the vicar, “ I must 
give you an instance of verbal corruption, which my friend 
and neighbor, Jeremy Prybabel, the etymologist, has dis¬ 
covered. Over the entrance of an inn at Hounslow are sus¬ 
pended the arms of one of the city companies, with the motto 
‘ God encompasses us ,’ which has given to the inn the name 
of the ‘ Goat and Compasses /” 

“ A similar explanation will apply to the sign of the ‘ Goat 
in Boots' which,” said the Major, “ is evidently a corruption 
of the Dutch legend, ‘ Mercurius dev Goden Booded 

“ Many such absurd corruptions might be enumerated,” 
continued the Major, “ but I know not one more amusing 
than the sign of the Swan with two necks.”* 

“You may indeed say so,” observed the vicar; “ it is one 
of the best illustrations of a colloquial corruption that I am 
acquainted with. The swans on the river are marked on the 
upper mandible to denote their several owners; two nicks 
upon this part invest the Vintner’s Company with the own¬ 
ership of the birds so marked.”! 

“ I have but lately discovered the true interpretation of 

* The two necks of the Spread Eagle in the Imperial Arms of Russia have 
a different signification, being symbolical of the East and West Empire, and 
the extension of their power from East to West. 

t To these examples the author will take the liberty of adding another, viz., 
that of the sign of “ The Pig and Whistle” which is a corruption of “ Peg 
and Wassail .” In the Wassail-bowl the liquor was divided into equal quan¬ 
tities by Pegs, placed one above the other, in order to make men drink fairly; 
and hence we derive the saying of a person being “ a peg too low.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


123 


the ‘ Green-man and Still it denoted,” continued Mr. 
Twaddleton, “ the vender of cordial waters; the Green-man 
was the person who furnished the herbs, and the Still signi¬ 
fied the process by which their essence was extracted.” 

But the good company of the Major and his newly-ac¬ 
quired friend must not detain us any longer from our duty. 
Mr. Seymour and his young family have reassembled in the 
library, and it is necessary that we should immediately join 
them. Some of our readers may, perhaps, decline accom¬ 
panying us upon this occasion; for the subject to be dis¬ 
cussed, however necessary it may be, is certainly not so 
entertaining as many of those which have engaged our atten¬ 
tion. If this be the case, they may make a short cut, and join 
us again at the beginning of the following chapter. The chil¬ 
dren had arranged themselves around the table, when their 
father observed, that it would be necessary for their future 
progress, to devote an hour or two to the consideration of 
several mathematical figures and terms. 

“As to mathematical figures,” said Tom, “if you allude to 
squares, circles, and figures of that description, and to par¬ 
allel lines, angles, and so on, I can assure you that I am 
already well acquainted with them ; for the work you have 
given us on Papyko-Plastios* has fully instructed mo in 
those particulars.” 

“ If that be the case,” replied Mr. Seymour, “ you will not 
have any difficulty in answering my questions ; but we must, 
nevertheless, go regularly through the subject, for the sake of 
your sisters, who may not be equally proficient in this ele¬ 
mentary part of geometry: tell me, therefore, in the first 
place, what is meant by a j-parallelogram .” 

' “ A four-sided figure,” answered Tom. 

“ That is true; # but are there not some other conditions 
annexed to it ?” 

* “ Papyeo-Plastics,” or the Art of Modeling in Paper; from the German, 
by Boileau; London, 1825. The author strongly recommends this interest¬ 
ing little work, as opening a new source of instructive amusement. His own 
children have derived from it many hours of rational recreation. 



124 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Yes; its opposite sides are parallel.” 

“ And what do you understand by the term parallel . ? ” 

u Lines are said to he parallel,” said Tom, “ when they are 
always at the same distance from each other, and which, 
therefore, can never meet, though ever so far continued.” 

“ You are quite right. What is a square ?” 

“ A four-sided figure, in which the sides are all equal, and 
its angles all right angles.” 

“ Good again: hut let me see whether you have a correct 
notion of the nature of an angle.” 

“ An angle is the opening formed by two lines meeting in 
a point.” 

Mr. Seymour here acknowledged himself perfectly satisfied 
with his son’s answers, and said that he should accordingly 
direct his attention more particularly to Louisa and Fanny; 
and, taking his pencil, he sketched the annexed figure. 

“ You perceive, Louisa,” said 
her father, “that the fine ao 
makes two angles with the line 
bd, viz., the angle aod and 
the angle acb; and you per¬ 
ceive that these two angles are 
equal to each other.” 

“How can they he equal?” 
are of very different lengths.” 

“ An angle, my dear girl, is not measured by the length of 
the lines, but by their opening .” 

“But surely,” said Louisa, “that amounts to the same 
thing; for the longer the lines are, the greater must be the 
opening between them.” 

“ Take the pair of compasses,” replied her father, “ and de¬ 
scribe a circle around these angles, making the angular point 
o its center.” 

“ To what extent am I to open them ?” 

“ That is quite immaterial: you may draw your circle of 
any magnitude you please, provided it cuts both the fines of 
the angles we are about to measure, All circles, of whatever 



cried Fanny; “for the fines 





MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


125 


dimensions, are supposed to be divided into 360 parts, called 
degrees; the size, but not the number, of such degrees will 
therefore increase with the magnitude of the circle. And 
since the opening of an angle is necessarily a portion of a 
circle, it must embrace a certain number of degrees; and two 
angles are, accordingly, said to be equal, when they contain 
an equal number of them.” 

u Now I understand it,” said Louisa: “ as the dimensions 
of an angle depend upon the number of degrees contained 
between its lines, it evidently must be the opening , and not 
the length of the lines, that determines the measure of the 
angle.” 

“ Say, rather, the value of the angle, for that is the usual 
expression; but I perceive you understand me; tell me, 
therefore, how many degrees are contained in each of the 
two angles formed by one line falling perpendicularly on an¬ 
other, as in the above figure.” 

“ I perceive that the two angles together are just equal to 
half the circle; and since you say that the whole circle is di¬ 
vided into 360 degrees, each angle must measure 90 of them, 
or the two together make up 180.” 

“ You are quite right, and I beg you to remember that an 
angle of 90 degrees is called a right angle, and that when one 
line is perpendicular to another, it will always form, as you 
have just seen, a right angle on either side.” 

“I now understand,” said Louisa, “what is meant bylines 
being at right angles to each other. But, papa,” continued 
she, “ what are obtuse and acute angles, of which I have so 
often heard you speak ?” 

Mr. Seymour replied, that he could better explain their na¬ 
ture by a drawing, than by any verbal description. “ Here,” 
said he, “is an acute angle, a; and 



here an obtuse one, b: the former, 
you perceive, is one that contains less 


than 90 degrees; the latter, one which 

contains more, and is consequently greater than a right 
angle.” 


11 * 




126 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


Louisa fully comprehended the explanation, and observed 
that she should remember, whenever an angle measured less 
than a right angle, that it was acute, and when more, obtuse. 
“But you have not yet explained to me,” she continued, 
“ the meaning of a triangle .” 

“ That is a term denoting a figure of three sides and angles. 
I dare say Tom can describe the several kinds of triangles.” 

Tom accordingly took the pencil, and drew a set of figures, 
of which the annexed are faithful copies. 

“a,” said he, “is an Equilateral tri¬ 
angle; its three sides being all equal. 
b is a Right-angled triangle, having 
one right angle, o represents an Ob¬ 
tuse-angled triangle, it having one ob¬ 
tuse angle. An Acute-angled triangle 
is one in which all the three angles are 
acute, as represented in figure a.” 

“ As you have succeeded so well in your explanation of a 
triangle, let us see whether you can describe the nature of a 
circle.” 

“ It is a round line, every part of which is equally distant 
from the center.” 

. “ And which round line,” said Mr. Seymour, “ is frequently 
called the circumference. What is the diameter ?” 

“ A straight fine drawn through the center, and termina¬ 
ting in the circumference on both sides.” 

“ And an arc ?” said Mr. Seymour. 

“Any portion of the circumference.” 

“Now let me ask you, what name is given to a line which 
joins any two opposite angles of a four-sided figure ?” 

“ The diagonal , papa.” 

“ You are quite right,” said Mr. Seymour; and, turning 
toward the girls, he desired them to remember that term, as 
they would frequently hear it mentioned during their inves¬ 
tigation into the nature of 4 Compound Forces.’ “I really 
think,” continued their father, “ that Tom is as capable of 
instructing you in these elementary principles as myself; I 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


127 


shall, therefore, desire you, my dear boy, to conclude this 
lecture during my absence: remember, that by teaching oth¬ 
ers we always instruct ourselves; but before I quit you, I 
will give you a riddle to solve, for I well know that you all 
delight in an enigma.” 

“Indeed do we,” said Louisa. 

“ Pray let us hear it, papa,” cried Fanny. 

Mr. Seymour then recited the following lines, which he had 
hastily composed; the point having, no doubt, been suggest¬ 
ed on the instant by the remark he had just offered. 

“ Here’s a riddle for those who delight in their gold, 

Which they p’rhaps may explain, when my story is told; 

No treasure’s so precious, and yet those who gain me, 
Though they give me away, will always retain me ! 

Indeed, if they wish to increase their rich store, 

By giving away they will only add more !! 

To Fancy’s quick eye, in what forms have I risen! 

And Poets declare that my birth was in heaven; 

To some as a flame, as a stream, or a fountain, 

To others I seem as a tower or mountain. 

Should these hints not betray me, I only can say, 

You do not possess me—I hope that you may.” 

“ Why,” cried Tom, “ what can that be, of which the more 
we give away, the more we have left ?” 

“Ay,” added Louisa, “and that we actually increase the 
store, by giving away a part of it!” 

“ It is some word, I think,” observed Fanny; “ do you 
not remember that mamma asked us what that was, from 
which we might take away some, and yet that the whole 
would remain ? ” 

“ To be sure,” cried Tom, “ I remember it well; it was the 
word wholesome .” 

Mr. Seymour here assured them, that the enigma they had 
just heard did not depend upon any verbal quibble; and that 
as the object of its introduction was to instruct rather than 
to puzzle them, he would explain it, and leave them to ex¬ 
tract its moral, and profit by its application. 



128 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ It is Knowledge,” said he. 

Ui JVo treasure's so precious' ” repeated Louisa; “cer¬ 
tainly none;— c and yet those who gain me,, though they give 
me away , will always retain me —to be sure,” added she. 
“ How could I have been so simple as not to have guessed 
it? We can certainly impart all the knowledge we possess, 
and yet not lose any of it ourselves.” 

“ By instructing others,” said Mr. Seymour, “ we are cer¬ 
tain, at the same time, of instructing ourselves, and thus to 
increase our store of knowledge. Let this truth be impressed 
upon your memory, and after our conversations, examine 
each other as to the knowledge you have gained by them : 
you will thus not only fix the facts more strongly in your 
recollection, but you will acquire a facility of conversing in 
philosophical language.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


129 


CHAPTER VII. 

COMPOUND FORCES.—THE COMPOSITION AND RESOLUTION OF MOTION, 

-ROTATORY MOTION.-THE REVOLVING WATCH-GLASS.-THE SLING. 

-THE CENTRIFUGAL AND CENTRIPETAL FORCES.-THEORY OF PRO¬ 
JECTILES.-THE TRUNDLING OF A MOP.-THE CENTRIFUGAL RAIL¬ 
WAY.-A GEOLOGICAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN MR. SEYMOUR AND 

THE VICAR, IN WHICH THE LATTER DISPLAYS HIS TOWERS OF 
RIDICULE. 


On the following morning Mr. Seymour proceeded to ex¬ 
plain the nature of “ Compound Foeoes.” The young party- 
having assembled as usual, their father commenced his lecture 
by reminding them that the motion of -a body actuated by a 
single force was always in a right line, and in the direction in 
which it received the impulse. 

“ Do you mean to say, papa, that a single force can never 
make a body move round, or in a crooked direction; l^so, 
how is it that my bah or marble will frequently run along 
the ground in a curved direction ? indeed, I always find it 
very difficult to make it go straight.” 

“ Depend upon it, my dear, whenever the direction of a 
moving body deviates from a straight line, it has been influ¬ 
enced by some second force.” 

“Then I suppose that, whenever my marble runs in a 
curved line, there must be some second force to make it 
do so.” 

“ Undoubtedly; the inequality of the ground may give it 
a new direction; which, when combined with the original 
force which it received from your hand, will fully explain 
the irregularity of its course. It is to the consideration of 
such compound motion that I am now desirous of directing 
your attention : the subject is termed the ‘ Composition of 




130 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


Fokces.’ Here is a block of wood, with two strings, as you 
may perceive, affixed to it: do you take hold of one of these 
strings, Louisa; and you, Tom, of the other. That is right. 
How place the block at one of the corners or angles of the 
table: and while Tom draws it along one of its sides, do you, 
Louisa, at the same time, draw it along the other.” 

The children obeyed their father’s directions. 



u See!” said Mr. Seymour, “ the block obeys neither of the 
striags, but picks out for itself a path which is intermediate. 
Can you tell me, Tom, the exact direction which it takes ?” 

“ If we consider this table as a parallelogram,. I should say, 
that the block described the diagonal.” 

“Well said, my boy; the ablest mathematician could not 
have given a more correct answer. The block was actuated 
by two forces at the same time; and, since it could not move 
in two directions at once, it moved under the compound 
force, in a mean or diagonal direction, proportioned to the 
influence of the joint forces acting upon it. You will, there¬ 
fore, be pleased to remember, it is a general law, that where 
a body is actuated by two forces at the same time, whose 
directions are inclined to each other, at any angle whatever, 
it will not obey either of them, but move along the diagonal. 
In determining, therefore, the course which a body will 
describe under the influehce of two such forces, we have 





MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


131 


nothing more to do than to draw lines 
which show the direction and quantity 
of the two forces, and then to complete 
the parallelogram by parallel lines, and 
its diagonal will he the path of the 
body. I have here a diagram which 
may render the subject more intelligi¬ 
ble. Suppose the ball b were, at the 
same moment, struck by two forces x 
and t in the directions b a and b d. It 
is evident that the ball would not obey either of such forces, 
but would move along the oblique or diagonal line b o.” 

“ But,” said Tom, “ why have you drawn the line b d so 
much longer than b a ?” 

“ I am glad you have asked that question. Lines are in¬ 
tended, not only to represent the direction, but the momenta 
or quantities of the forces: the line b d is, as you observe, 
twice as long as b a ; it consequently denotes that the force 
y acting in the direction b d is twice as great as the force x 
acting in the direction b a. Having learned the direction 
which the body will take when influenced by joint forces of 
this kind, can you tell me the relative time which it would 
require for the performance of its diagonal journey ?” 

Tom hesitated; and Mr. Seymour relieved his embarrass¬ 
ment by informing him, that it would pass along the diagonal 
in exactly the same space of time that it would have required 
to traverse either of the sides of the parallelogram, had but 
one force been applied. Thus, the ball b would reach c in 
the same time that the force x would have sent it to a, or the 
force y to d. “ I will endeavor to prove this fact beyond all 
doubt. It is, I think, evident, that the force which acts in 
the direction b a can neither accelerate nor retard the ap¬ 
proach of the body to the line d o, which is parallel to it; 
hence it will arrive at o in the same time that it would have 
done had no motion been communicated to it in the direction 
b a. In like manner, the motion in the direction b d can 
neither make the body approach to nor recede from a o ; and 








132 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


it therefore follows, that, in consequence of the two motions, 
the body will be found both in a o and o d, and will, there¬ 
fore be found in o, the point of intersection.” 

Louisa seemed to express by her looks the irksomeness of 
such demonstrations; and which did not pass unobserved. 

“ This may appear tedious and uninteresting,” said Mr. 
Seymour, “ but the information is absolutely essential to our 
future progress: if you would reap, you must sow.” 

Tom and Louisa both expressed themselves willing to re¬ 
ceive whatever instruction their father might consider neces¬ 
sary : and they further declared, that they understood the 
demonstration he had just offered them. 

“ Is it not then evident,” proceeded Mr. Seymour, “ that 
the composition of forces must always be attended with loss 
of power; since the diagonal of a parallelogram can never, 
under any circumstances, be equal to two of its sides ? and is 
it not also evident, that the length of the 
diagonal must diminish as the angles of the 
sides increase; so that the more acute the 
angle at which the forces act, the less must 
be the loss by composition ? But I shall be A 
better able to explain this law by a diagram. 

If b a, a o be the sides of a parallelogram 
representing the direction of two forces, and c 
a d the diagonal path of the body, is it not 
evident that the line a d will shorten as the angle bag 
increases ?” 

“We see that at once,” cried Tom, “from the diagram be¬ 
fore us.” 

“ Then we will proceed to another 
fact connected with the same subject. 

Look at this diagram ; is not the diago¬ 
nal a d common to both the parallelo¬ 
grams inscribed about it, viz., of a b o d, 
and aefd?” 

“ To be sure it is.” 

“ Then it is equally clear, that a body may be made to tra- 



B 


\ ' Jn 



B 










MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


133 


verse the same path a d, by any pair of forces represented 
by the adjacent sides of either of such parallelograms.” 

“ Undoubtedly.” 

u I request you to keep that fact in your recollection.” 

“ I have now to inform you,” continued he, “ that a single 
force may be resolved into any number of forces, and may, 
in fact, be regarded as compounded of innumerable oblique 
ones. In order, however, to render this fact more intelligi¬ 
ble, I must refer you to the same figure, from which it will 
appear that the motion of a body, along the fine a d, will be 
the same whether it arise from one single force acting in that 
direction, or from two forces impressed upon it in the direc¬ 
tions a b, a c, or in those of a e, a f ; and, consequently, 
although the motion may, in reality, be the effect of a single 
force, yet it maybe considered as .compounded of two or 
more in other directions, since the very same motion would 
arise from such a composition.” 

Tom acknowledged the truth of this statement; and Mr. 
Seymour assured him, that, when they came to play at ball 
and marbles, he should be able to give him a practical demon¬ 
stration of the fact; for he would show him, that whenever 
a body strikes a surface obliquely, or in an inclined direction, 
such a resolution of force will actually take place: “ and 
now, Tom,” said his father, “ give me a marble; for I wish 
to explain the reason why it turns round, or revolves on its 
axis, as it proceeds forward.” 

“I suppose,” said Tom, “it depends upon the action which 
I give to it by my thumb and finger when I shoot it out of 
my hand.” 

“ You are undoubtedly capable of thus giving to your mar¬ 
ble a certain spinning motion, the effect of which we shall 
have to consider hereafter ; but I fancy you would be greatly 
puzzled to make it proceed without revolving, give it what 
impulse you might by your hand.” 

“ I have sometimes tried,” said Tom, “ to make it do so by 
pushing it along with a flat ruler, but it always rolled in spite 
of me.” 


12 



134 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Then it is clear, from your own experiment, that its ro¬ 
tation cannot arise from the cause you would assign to it. 
If you will attend to this dia¬ 
gram,” continued his father, 

“ I will endeavor to explain 
the operation. It is evident 
that, as the marble moves 
along the ground b d, the mo¬ 
tion of the point b will be re¬ 
tarded by the resistance occasioned by its rubbing on the 
aground: while the point c, which does not meet with any 
such resistance, is carried forward without opposition, and 
it consequently must move faster than the point b; but 
since all the parts of the marble cohere or stick together, the 
point o cannot move faster than b, unless the marble revolves 
from o to e ; and as the several points of the marble which 
are successively applied to the floor are retarded in their mo¬ 
tion, wlyle the opposite points move freely, the marble during 
its progressive motion must continue to revolve.” 

“ But you said, papa, that whenever a body moved in any 
direction, except that of a straight line, it must have been 
acted upon by more than one force; and yet the marble not 
only runs along the ground, but turns round, at the same 
time, by the simple force of my hand.” 

u The revolution of the marble, my dear boy, is brought 
about by no less than three forces; look attentively at the 
diagram, and you will easily comprehend my explanation. 
There is, in the first place, the rectilinear motion given to it 
by your hand ; then there is the friction of the ground: since, 
however, this latter acts in a contrary direction, it merely 
tends to lessen or counteract the velocity with which the 
under-surface proceeds, and consequently to give a relatively 
increased progressive motion to its upper part; then comes 
that force by which its several parts cohere, and which may 
be represented by c h; so that the two forces producing the 
revolution of the point o are justly expressed by the fines o o, 
o h ; but these are in the direction of the two sides of a par- 



D 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


135 


allelogram, the point will therefore move along the diagonal 
o e. I have here a toy for you, which will serve to explain 



still further the causes of rotation to which I have alluded.” 
Mr. Seymour produced a watch-glass, in the hollow of which 
stood a dancing-figure of thin card, as above represented. 

He placed it upon a black japanned waiter,* which he held 
in an inclined position, when it immediately slided down the 
inclined plane, as might have been expected. He next let 
fall a drop of water upon the waiter, and placed the watch- 
glass in it. Under this new arrangement, instead of sliding, 
the watch-glass began to revolve as soon as an inclination was 
given to the surface; and it continued to revolve with an 
accelerated velocity, obeying the inclination and position of 
the plane, as directed by the hand of the operator. 

“ What a very pretty effect is produced by the rapid revo¬ 
lution of the figure!” observed Louisa. 

“ Its use in the arrangement,” said her father, “ is to ren¬ 
der the accelerated motion more obvious.” 

“ I perceive it revolves faster and faster, or I suppose I 
ought to say, with an accelerated velocity,” said Tom. 

“ Certainly,” answered Mr. Seymour; “whenever a force 

* A common plate will answer the purpose; but the black surface gives the 
advantage of exhibiting more perfectly the motion of the water during the 
progress of the experiment. 









136 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


continues to act, the motion produced by it must he acceler¬ 
ated for the reason already given you*—but let me explain 
the operation of the drop of water, which, as you have just 
seen, converted the sliding into the revolving motion. In the 
first place, in consequence of the cohesion of the water to 
the two surfaces, a new force was introduced, by which an 
unequal degree of resistance was imparted to different por¬ 
tions of that part of the watch-glass in contact with the plane, 
and, consequently, in its effort to slide down, it necessarily 
revolved. Now, if you will attentively observe the change 
of figure which the drop of water undergoes during the rev¬ 
olution of the glass, you will perceive a species of vortex; a 
film of water, by capillary action, is drawn to the foremost 
portion of the glass, while, by the centrifugal force, a body 
of water is tin-own under the hinder part of it; the effect of 
both these actions is to accelerate the rotatory motion. 

“ I shall now dismiss the subject for the present, but on 
some future occasion I shall probably revert to it; for it may 
be made to afford a simple illustration of the rotatory and 
progressive motions of the earth round the sun; and it may 
also give us the means of producing some optical effects of a 
very curious kind.” 

Mrs. Seymour here suggested that, as it was past one 
o’clock, the children should be dismissed to their more active 
sports in the garden. 

“We will instantly proceed to the lawn,” replied Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, “ and Tom may try his skill with the sling ; an amuse¬ 
ment which I have provided as a reward for his industry, 
and which will, at the same time, convey some further infor¬ 
mation concerning the nature of those forces we have just 
been considering. The sling,” continued his father, as he 
advanced upon the lawn, “ consists, as you perceive, of a 
leathern thong, broadest in the middle, and tapering off 
gradually toward both ends. To each extremity is affixed 
a piece of string. I shall now place a stone in the broad part 
of the leather, and introduce my middle finger into the loop 
* See page 66. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


137 


formed in one of the strings, and hold the other extremity 
between my fore-finger and thumb.” 

He then whirled it round, and when it had gained suffi¬ 
cient impetus, he let go his hold of the string, and the stone 
instantly shot forth with amazing velocity. 

“See! see! there it goes!” exclaimed Tom; “to what a 
height it ascended!” 

“ And to what a distance has it been projected!” observed 
Louisa, who had attentively watched its descent. 

“ How, Tom,” said his father, “ can you explain the opera¬ 
tion you have just witnessed?” 

“ Hot exactly, papa.” 

“ Then attend to me. Have you not learned that circular 
motion is always the result of two forces ?” 

“Undoubtedly,” replied Tom; “of one force which at¬ 
tracts it to the center around which it moves, and of another 
which drives it off in a right line.” 

“Certainly; the former of these forces is therefore termed 
the centripetal , because it draws the body toward the center, 
while the latter is called the centrifugal force, since its influ¬ 
ence disposes the body to fly off from the center. In circular 
motion, these two forces constantly balance each other; other¬ 
wise it is evident that the revolving body must either ap¬ 
proach the center or recede from it, according as the one or 
the other prevailed. When I whirled round the sling, I im¬ 
parted a projectile force to the stone, hut it was prevented 
from flying off in consequence of the counteracting or cen¬ 
tripetal force of the string; hut the moment I let go my hold 
of this, the stone flew off in a right line: having been released 
from confinement to the fixed or central point, it was acted 
upon by one force only, and motion produced by a single 
force is, as you have just stated, always in a right line.” 

“ But,” observed Louisa, “ the stone did not proceed in a 
straight, but in a curved line: I watched its direction from 
the moment it left the sling till it fell to the ground.” 

“You are perfectly correct,” replied Mr. Seymour; “it 
described a curve, which is called a parabola ; but that was 

12 * 



138 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


owing to the influence of a new force which came into play 
viz., that of gravity, the effect of which I shall have to ex¬ 
plain hereafter.” 

“ I cannot understand,” said Tom, “ why the stone should 
not have fallen out of the sling when you whirled it round 
over your head.” 

“ Because, my dear, it was acted upon by the centrifugal 
force, which counteracted that of gravity; hut I will render 
this fact more evident, by a very simple and beautiful exper¬ 
iment. I have here a wine-glass, around the rim of which I 
shall attach a piece of string so as to enable me to whirl it 
round. I will now fill it with water, and although during 
one part of its revolution it will he actually inverted, you 
will find that I shall not spill a single drop of water.” 

Mr. Seymour then whirled round the glass, and the young 
party were delighted with the Confirmation thus afforded to 
their father’s statement. 

“ I see,” said Tom, “ how it happened : when the glass was 
inverted the water could not fall out, because it was influ¬ 
enced by the centrifugal force which opposed gravity.”* 

u Exactly. Have you ever observed what happens during 
the trundling of a mop ? The threads which compose it fly 
off from the center, hut being confined to it at one end they 
cannot part from it; while the water which they contain 
being unconfined is thrown off in right lines.” 

“I have certainly observed what you state,” said Louisa; 
“ the water flies off in all directions from the mop.” 

u Yes,” added Tom, u the water was not acted upon by 
the centripetal force as the threads were, and consequently 
there was nothing to check the centrifugal force which car¬ 
ried the water off in a straight line from the center.” 

“ You are not quite correct,” said Mr. Seymour; “ the 
water does not fly off in a right line from the center, but in 

* A more striking but fearful exemplification of this principle has been 
lately exhibited in London under the name of the Centrifugal Railway, 
in which a car containing a passenger is made to descend from a lofty ceiling 
down an inclined railway, when, after whirling round in an inverted position 
it is carried forward to a corresponding elevation. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 139 

a right line in the direction in which it was moving at the 
instant of its release; the line which a body will always de¬ 
scribe under such circumstances, is called a tangent , because 
it touches the circumference of the circle, and forms a right 
angle with a line drawn from that point of the circumference 
to the center; but I will render this subject more intelligible 
by a diagram. Suppose a body, revolv¬ 
ing in the circle, was liberated at «, it 
would fly off in the direction a ~b ; if at 
c, in that of cd\ and if at 0 , in that of 
e f\ and so on. Now, if you draw lines 
from these several points to the center 
of the circle, you will perceive that such 
lines will form, in each case, a right an¬ 
gle. In the experiment which you have just witnessed, the 
surface of the water must have formed, during its revolution, 
a right angle with the string, and consequently could not 
have fallen out of the wine-glass. A knowledge of this law,” 
continued Mr. Seymour, “will explain many appearances, 
which, although familiar, I dare say, have never been under¬ 
stood by you. You may remember accompanying me to the 
pottery, to see the operation of the turning-lathe; it was 
owing to the centrifugal force produced by the rotation of 
the wheel, that the clay, under a gentle pressure, swelled out 
so regularly; from a similar cause, the flour is thrown out of 
the revolving mill as fast as it ground; and I shall presently 
show you that you are indebted to this same force for the 
spinning of your top and the trundling of your hoop. But 
let us quit this subject for the present, and pursue the stone 
and its course after it is liberated from the sling. Louisa has 
justly observed that it described a curve; can you explain 
why it should deviate from a straight line ?” 

“ Let me see,” said Tom, thoughtfully ; “ it would be acted 
upon by two forces, one carrying it forward .in a right line, 
the other bringing it to the earth: it would, therefore, not 
obey either, but describe a diagonal: but why that diagonal 
should be a curve I cannot exactly explain.” 








140 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Then I will give you the reason,” said his father. u A 
stone projected into the air is acted upon by no less than 
three forces; the force of projection, which is communicated 
to it by the hand or the sling; the resistance of the air 
through which it passes, and which diminishes its velocity 
without changing its direction; and the force of gravity, 
which ultimately brings it to the ground. Now, since the 
power of gravity and the resistance of the air will always be 
greater than any force of projection we can give a body, the 
latter must be gradually overcome, and the body brought to 
the ground; but the stronger the projectile force, the longer 
will those powers be in subduing it, and the further will the 
body go before it falls. A shot fired from a cannon, for in¬ 
stance, will go much further than a stone thrown from your 
hand. Had the two forces which acted upon the stone, viz., 
those of projection and gravity, both produced uniform mo¬ 
tion, the body must certainly have descended through the 
diagonal; but since gravity, as you have already learned, is 
an accelerating force, the body is made to describe a curve 
instead of a straight line. This law, however, will require 
the aid of a diagram for its explanation. Let x represent the 
ball at its greatest alti¬ 
tude, x y the force of 
gravity drawing it 
downward; and x z 
that of projection. We 
have here, then, two 
forces acting in the di¬ 
rection of the two sides 
of a parallelogram. In 
passing on to z, the ball 
will perform the diago¬ 
nal x a ; and in the next equal space of time, will descend 
through three times the distance z a, and will consequently 
be found at 5 ; while in the next period it will fall through 
jive equal spaces, and pass to c ; and in the next period, 
again, as it must fall through seven such spaces, it will reach 





MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


m 


the ground at <2, having described the portion of a curve from 
x*to d , or during the time that the two forces were in simul¬ 
taneous operation. The same principle will explain the curved 
ascent of the ball, substituting only the laws of retarded for 
those of accelerated motion; for it is clear, that the body 
during its ascent will be retarded in the same degree in which 
it was accelerated during its descent.''' 1 

“ Your explanation,” said Louisa^ u appears very clear and 
satisfactory.” 

“ The curve which Projectiles (that is to say, bodies pro¬ 
jected into the air) describe, is termed a Parabola , although 
the resistance of the air, which is not recognized in the the¬ 
ory, produces a considerable influence on the practical re¬ 
sult.” 

U I have only to add,” said Mr. Seymour, “that although 
there exists an immense distance between a stone fastened to 
a cord, which a boy swings round, and those celestial bodies 
that revolve to all eternity, yet science proves that the source 
of their motions is identical.” 

The children now proceeded to amuse themselves with the 
sling. Louisa challenged Tom to a trial of skill. She fancied 
that she could hurl a stone with greater accuracy than her 
brother; but after several contests she acknowledged herself 
vanquished, for Tom had succeeded in striking the trunk of 
an old tree at a considerable distance, while his sister was 
never able to throw the stone within several yards of the 
mark. 

“Well done, Tom!” exclaimed Mr. Seymour; “why, you 
will soon equal in skill the ancient natives of the Balearic 
Islands! 

“ And were they famous for this art ?” asked Louisa. 

“ With such dexterity,” replied her father, “ did they use 
the sling, that we are told their young children were not al¬ 
lowed any food by their mothers, except that which they 
could fling down from the beam where it was placed aloft. 
I fancy, however, Tom, that you would become very hungry 
before you could strike an object in yonder poplar.” 




142 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ At all events, I will try,” said Tom. 

He accordingly whirled round his sling, and discharged its 
stone, which flew forward with great velocity, but in a direc¬ 
tion very wide from the mark at which it w-as aimed. In the 
next moment a violent hallooing was heard: it was from 
the vicar, who had narrowly escaped the boisterous saluta¬ 
tion of the falling stone, which, in its anxiety to throw itself 
at the feet of the reverend gentleman, struck the beaver pent 
house that defended his upper story, and, by a resolution of 
forces which tve have endeavored to explain, darted off in 
the direction of the side of a parallelogram, and was thus 
averted from the equally sensitive antipodes of his venerable 
person—his brains and corns. 

“Upon my word, young gentleman!” cried the vicar, “I 
expected nothing less than the fate of the giant of Gath.” 

“ My dear Mr. Twaddleton,” exclaimed Tom, in a tone of 
alarm, “ I sincerely hope that you have not been struck?” 

“ Oh no! like the Yolscians of old, I bear my shield upon 
my head ;* so, thanks to my clerical hat, I have escaped the 
danger which threatened me: but, tell me, what new game 
is engaging your attention?” 

Mr. Seymour said that he had been explaining the scien¬ 
tific principle of the sling, and that he hoped the vicar 
was prepared to afford them some information respecting its 
invention and history. 

“The sling?” repeated the vicar; “why, bless me! I left 
you discoursing upon elasticity; you really stride over prov¬ 
ince after province as rapidly as if you were gifted with the 
seven-leagued boots of the Ogrebut to the point in ques¬ 
tion. The art of slinging, or casting stones, is one of the 
highest antiquity, and was carried to a great degree of per¬ 
fection among the Asiatic nations. It was well known and 
practiced at a very early period in Europe; and our Saxon 
ancestors appear to have been very expert in the use of this 
missile.” 

Mr. Twaddleton, being desirous of communicating the his- 

* Mn. lib. ix. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


143 


tory of Major Snap well, begged that Mr. and Mrs. Seymour 
would allow him a few minutes’ conversation; observing 
that the attention of the children would be agreeably oc¬ 
cupied during their absence by their newly-acquired amuse¬ 
ment. 

“ We will then, if you please, vicar,” replied Mr. Seymour, 
“ walk to the Geological Temple, where I have lately depos¬ 
ited some specimens which you have not yet seen.” 

“ To speak sincerely,” said the vicar, “I cannot participate 
in that high satisfaction which you appear to feel in collect¬ 
ing such hoards of broken rocks and pebbles: where can lie 
the utility of such labor? unless, indeed, in pursuance of 
your Utopian plans, you intend to Macadamize all the roads 
of science.” 

“Is it notliing, my dear Mr. Twaddleton, to discover the 
structure of different countries?” 

“ Which the geologist infers,” replied the vicar, “ from a 
few patterns, picked up at random on the road-side!” 

“Mr. Twaddleton,” said Mr. Seymour, “I will meet you 
on your own ground : you are an antiquary; if an ancient 
monument of art be so inestimable, is not a knowledge of the 
antiquity of the globe itself, at least, of equal interest ?” 

“Which you think you can discover by penetrating its 
caverns, with as much ease as. the jockey ascertains the age 
of a horse by looking into its jaws.” 

“You speak too flippantly of a class of philosophers who 
have united their efforts to investigate a sublime subject upon 
the true principles of science; but the truth is, you have 
never directed vour attention to it; you must be initiated in 
its mysteries uncfefr my guidance. I have just procured a lit¬ 
tle work for my young pupils, a most delightful introduction 
to the study, entitled ‘ Thoughts on a Pebble, or a First Les¬ 
son in Geology,’ by Dr. Mantell, and I must request you to 
read it; for although it does not consist of more than thirty 
pages, it will expand to your view a new world that will as¬ 
tonish and delight you. I shall afterward place in your hands 
the more extended works of this accomplished author, ‘ Won- 



PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


144 

ders of Geology,’ and ‘ The Medals of Creationyon will 
then, so far from undervaluing such researches, regard them 
as among the most interesting that can engage the human 
understanding.” 

“ Although I may be unknown to your genii of the mount¬ 
ains and caves,” observed the vicar, u I am, at all events, ac¬ 
quainted with a kindred class of philosophers who rival them 
in industry if not in talents; and notwithstanding the limited 
range of then* observations—being confined to the mountain¬ 
ous districts they inhabit—I have little doubt but that their 
labors have proved as acceptable to the world as those of 
the disciples of Hutton or Werner. I once visited this dis¬ 
trict, and, although the language of its inhabitants was en¬ 
tirely unknown to me, I soon discovered, by the aid of a 
glass, that they were in serious discourse with each other : 
and one of the elders of the fraternity, who was seated on 
a craggy precipice that overhung an extensive valley covered 
with rich verdure, appeared, from his gestures, as if pointing 
out to his fellow-laborers, who were digging in all directions 
in search of treasure, the danger of an approaching convul¬ 
sion. While I was yet gazing, the fatal catastrophe actually 
occurred; immense masses of the tottering strata rolled with 
precipitous haste into the valley, involving in its ruin hun¬ 
dreds of its inhabitants. It was extraordinary to behold the 
effects of this shock upon those who were beyond the reach 
of its more destructive influence; hundreds were seen sca¬ 
ling heights that appeared inaccessible; others stumbling— 
falling down frightful precipices—rising again—helping, or 
pushing each other on—the foremost serving as so many 
stepping-stones to those behind, who, in tlMr turn, hauled 
up the clusters over whose backs they had so unceremonious¬ 
ly vaulted.” 

u How awful!” cried Mrs. Seymour; “ I never heard of 
any modern catastrophe of such fearful extent; where did it 
occur ?” 

“ The vicar doubtless alludes to the terrible earthquake of 
Messina, or perhaps to that of Lisbon.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


145 


“ I neither allude to the one nor to the other,” cried Mr. 
Twaddleton; “and yet, in some respects, the catastrophe 
which I have described resembled that of Lisbon; for during 
the dreadful disaster human beings were seen to take advan¬ 
tage of the confusion to murder many of the inhabitants, and 
to pillage their territories.” (2) 

“For goodness’ sake!” cried Mrs. Seymour, “tell us at 
once where this terrible event occurred.” 

“ In a fine Cheshire cheese!” exclaimed the vicar, “ which 
had furnished abundant food to the miniature republic of 
mites that occupied its deep ravines and alpine heights. I 
think now,” continued the reverend gentleman, “ I am am¬ 
ply revenged for the allegorical jokes in which Mr. Seymour 
has so often indulged at my expense.” 

“ I am well satisfied,” said Mr. Seymour; “ for by repeat¬ 
ing your allegory to my children, I shall be enabled to con¬ 
vey a striking lesson of wisdom. They will learn from it 
that there is not any pursuit, however exalted, that may not 
be assailed by the weapons of ridicule, especially when wield¬ 
ed by those penurious philosophers whose ideas of utility are 
circumscribed within the narrow limits of direct and imme¬ 
diate profit.” 

“ It is too true,” cried Mrs. Seymour, “ that we are all apt 
to depreciate those branches of knowledge which do not bear 
directly upon the comforts or necessities of life; and the ap¬ 
plications of geology are, perhaps, so remote as scarcely to 
be discovered by the mass of mankind.” 

“ There I must differ with you,” replied her husband: “ to 
say nothing of the practical advantages which have accrued 
to the miner from this study, it has been the means of bring¬ 
ing hundreds of acres into cultivation in districts where 
never a blade of grass had before grown; while to the phi¬ 
losopher, engaged in inquiries relative to former conditions of 
our globe, fossils are like medals to the antiquary, recording 
on blocks of marble, in hieroglyphics as intelligible as those 
which Major Eawlinson has deciphered on the slabs of Nin¬ 
eveh, the history of a former world and of that gigantic 

13 



146 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


community with which it pleased the Almighty to people it 
before the creation of man.” 

If the truth may be told, the vicar’s geological hostility 
arose from that science having shaken the faith of the anti¬ 
quary in the Druidical ‘origin of rock basins and other sup-, 
posed remains of that mysterious priesthood. Mr. and Mrs. 
Seymour and the vicar had by this time arrived at the 'Wer¬ 
nerian Temple, where, having discussed several points con¬ 
nected with its objects, Mr. Twaddleton gave an account of 
Major Snap well, whose history created considerable interest, 
and determined Mr. Seymour to call at Ivy Cottage, and in¬ 
vite its inmate to the Lodge. 







MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST 


147 



CHAPTER VIII. 


THE SUBJECT OF ROTATORY MOTION CONTINUED.—A BALL, BY" HAYING 
A PECULIAR SPINNING MOTION IMPARTED TO IT, MAY BE MADE 
TO STOP SHORT, OR TO RETROGRADE, THOUGH IT MEETS NOT WITH 
ANY APPARENT OBSTACLE.-THE RECTILINEAR PATH OF A SPHERI¬ 
CAL BODY INFLUENCED BY ITS ROTATORY MOTION.-BILBOQUET, 

OR CUP AND BALL.-THE JOINT FORCES WHICH ENABLE THE BAL¬ 

ANCER TO THROW UP AND CATCH HIS BALLS ON THE FULL GAL¬ 
LOP.-THE HOOP.-THE CENTER OF PERCUSSION.-THE WHIP AND 

PEG TOP.-HISTORICAL NOTICES.-THE POWER BY WHICH THE TOP 

IS ENABLED TO SUSTAIN ITS VERTICAL POSITION DURING THE ACT 

OF SPINNING.-THE SLEEPING OF THE TOP EXPLAINED.-THE 

FORCE WHICH ENABLES IT TO RISE FROM AN OBLIQUE INTO A 
VERTICAL POSITION.-ITS GYRATION. 


u Tom, do you remember that I told you a few days ago,” 
said Mr. Seymour, u that, by giving a revolving body a pecu¬ 
liar spinning motion, certain effects were produced, which I 
should, on some future occasion, take into consideration ?” 
u To be sure I do,” replied Tom. 
u Well, then, attend to me.” 













148 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


Mr. Seymour took a marble, and, placing it on tbe ground, 
gave it an impulse forward by pressing bis fore-finger upon it: 
tbe marble darted forward a few paces, after which it rolled 
back again. 

“That is most extraordinary!” cried Tom; “the marble 
came back to your hand, as it were, of its own accord, and 
without having met with any obstacle.” 

“ And you, no doubt,” said Mr. Seymour, “ regard it as 
contrary to the well-known law, that a body once put in mo¬ 
tion, in any direction, will continue to move in that direction 
until some foreign cause oppose it.” 

“ It really would appear so.” 

“It is, however, far otherwise; the force which I imparted 
to the marble communicated to it two kinds of motion; the 
one projecting it forward, the other producing a rotatory 
motion round its axis, ..in a direction opposite to that of its 
rectilinear course; and the consequence was simply this, that 
when the former motion, on account of the friction of the 
marble on the ground, was destroyed, the rotatory motion 
continued, and, by thus establishing an action in an opposite 
direction, caused the marble to retrograde* If, however, 
you will fetch your hoop, I will demonstrate the fact on a 
larger scale.” 

Tom accordingly produced the hoop; and Mr. Seymour 
projected it forward, giving to it, at the same instant, a spin¬ 
ning motion in an opposite direction. The hoop proceeded 
forward to a certain distance, when it stopped, and then 
ran back to the hand. 

“Let me beg you,” said Mr. Seymour, “to treasure this 
fact in your memory; you perceive by it how greatly the 
progressive direction of a body may be influenced by a rota¬ 
tory motion around its axis; and, indeed, the theory of the 
rifle gun is easily deduced from it. It will also explain the 
effect which a rotatory motion produces in steadying or dis¬ 
turbing the direction of a projectile. It is for such a reason 
that the balancer constantly whirls round his balls or oranges, 

* This movement is well known to billiard players 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


149 


as he throws them into the air, with the intention of catching 
them again; and that in playing at BiTboquet , or cnp and 
ball, yon find it necessary to give a spinning motion to the 
ball, in order to catch it on the spike—but we will consider 
that subject presently. I shall also present you with a new 
missile which has lately found its way into the toyshops, 
termed the Bommereng. It is used by the natives of Austra¬ 
lia, and has the curious property, when skillfully directed, 
after striking the desired object, to return to the thrower. I 
am now desirous of laying down a few propositions upon the 
subject of rotation, the knowledge of which is essential for 
the explanation of the motions of revolving bodies.” 

Mr. Seymour proceeded to state that every body had three 
principal axes upon which it might revolve, but that the 
shortest was the only one upon which it could permanently 
and steadily rotate; that should it, in consequence of the 
impulse given to it, begin to spin upon any other than the 
shortest axis, it would, during its revolutions, be constantly 
showing a tendency to approach it; whence it followed that, 
under such circumstances, it would be unsteady and wabbling 
in its motions. 

I order, however, to make this proposition intelligible to 
the children, Mr. Seymour performed the following simple 
experiment. 



Having tied some strings to a common curtain ring, as 
represented by figure 1, he twisted it round by means of his 
thumb and finger, until it acquired considerable velocity, 

18 * 





150 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


when the ring was seen to rise gradually into the position 
represented by figured. Thus, in the simplest manner, was 
a revolving body shown to exchange its longer for its shorter 
axis. 

The children declared that they perfectly comprehended 
the subject, and Tom observed that, in future, whenever he 
wished to make a ball spin steadily, he should take care to 
make it turn on its shortest axis. 

u You are quite right, Tom,” said Mr. Seymour; “ and the 
skillful bowler at cricket, in order to give his ball a steady 
axis of rotation, always holds it with the seam across, so that 
the tips of his fingers may touch, and he takes care to hold 
it only with such a grasp as may be sufficient to steady it, 
for by a turn even of the wrist it may be made to proceed 
unsteadily; and this leads me to consider another equally im¬ 
portant proposition, viz., that the axis of rotation should co¬ 
incide with the direction in which it is moving forward, or, 
in other words, with its line of motion. Now, where this is 
not the case, it is evident that the unequal action of the air 
will cause the body to deviate from its straight course, since 
its two sides, having different velocities (the rotatory and 
progressive motions conspiring on one side, while they are in 
opposition on the other), will be differently affected by such 
resistance; the resistance, of course, increasing with the velo¬ 
city. It is upon this principle,” continued Mr. Seymour, 
“ that Sir Isaac Newton has explained the irregular motion 
of the tennis-ball.” 

“ But do explain to us, papa,” said Louisa, “ why it is so 
necessary to spin the ball in order to catch it on the spike.” 

u Rotatory motion, my dear, when directed according to 
the principles I have endeavored to enforce, will always 
steady the course of a body. In playing at bilboquet, your 
object is so to throw up the ball that its hole may descend 
perpendicularly upon the spike which is held for its reception; 
and in order to accomplish this, you make the ball spin upon 
an axis, at the extremity of which is the hole; the conse¬ 
quence is obvious.” 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


151 


Louisa observed, that she well- remembered an allusion to 
this game in Miss Edgeworth’s Essays on Education; and 
that, unless she was much deceived, the advantage to be 
gained by spinning the ball was referred to centrifugal force, 
and its effect in preserving the “parallelism of motion” 

“ I do not recollect the passage,” answered her father, “ but 
I will admit that the centrifugal force is indirectly instrumen¬ 
tal to the effect, although, in my view of the subject, it is 
more philosophical to refer it at once to the creation of an 
appropriate axis of rotation, and to the permanence of that 
axis maintained by rapid motion.” 

“I well remember,” observed Tom, “that the rider at 
Astley’s whirled round the oranges as he threw them into 
the air.” 

“ And I hope that you are now not only acquainted with 
the principle which rendered such a rotatory motion neces¬ 
sary, but that which must make the shorter the more eligible 
axis for effecting his purpose;—but can you tell me how it 
could have happened, that the oranges, which were thrown 
perpendicularly upward while the horseman was on the full 
gallop, should have fallen again into his hand?” 

“Ay,” said Louisa, “that puzzled me exceedingly; I 
should have thought he would have ridden away from 
them, and that they must have fallen several feet behind 
him.” 

“ What say you, Tom, to that?” inquired Mr. Seymour. 

“ I suppose that the rider calculated upon the distance he 
would pass forward before they could fall, and projected 
them accordingly.” 

“No, indeed; there is no calculation in the case, nor is 
any art used to throw the oranges in advance: they are 
projected perpendicularly from the hand; and if you will 
only recall to your mind the subject of the ‘ Composition of 
Forces,’ the mystery will vanish.” 

“ I see it all clearly,” cried Tom: “ the orange partakes of 
the progressive motion of the rider; when, therefore, he 
throws it upward, it is influenced by two forces which are 



152 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


i.n the direction of the two sides of a parallelogram, and it 
consequently describes the diagonal.” 

“Yon are quite right; but you doubtless will perceive 
that, instead of a straight line, the orange will describe a 
parabolic curve.” 

u For the same reason, I suppose,” said Tom, u that the 
stone from the sling described a curve?” 

u Certainly; but see, I have a diagram which will explain 
the subject more clearly. 


a 



“ The orange, as it is thrown into the air, is influenced by 
two forces; the one arising from the progressive motion of 
the rider, the other from the projectile force imparted to it. 
These two forces are in the direction of the adjacent sides of 
a parallelogram, and were it not for the operation of gravity, 
the body would accordingly describe its diagonal in the same 
space of time as it would have described one of the sides.* 
The influence of gravity, however, not only deflects it from 
a right line into a curve, but diminishes its force, so that, in¬ 
stead of arriving at the opposite angle of the parallelogram a, 
its greatest altitude will be short of that point; it will then 
descend through a similar curve; and, since the time of 


* See page 181. 










MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


153 


ascent and descent are equal,* it will reach the hand of the 
rider at the very moment he is prepared to receive it; for 
the orange will have traversed the parabolic curve in the 
same space of time as the horseman required for passing from 
one extremity of the curve to the other.” 

Mr. Seymour, having concluded this explanation, much to 
the satisfaction of the young party, observed that the present 
occasion was an appropriate one for the introduction of some 
remarks on the favorite pastime of the Hoop. 

“ It is a classical pastime,” exclaimed the vicar, “ and was 
as common with the Greeks and Romans as it is with boys 
of the present generation.” 

“And it has the advantage,” added Mr. Seymour, “of 
sending the tide of life in healthful currents through the 
veins.” 

Tom began to trundle his hoop along the gravel-walk. 

“ Stop, stop, my dear boy,” cried his father; “ you seem 
to have forgotten our compact, that every toy should be 
fairly won before it was played with. Come upon the lawn, 
and let me ask you some questions relative to the motions of 
the hoop. Can you make it stand still upon its edge?” 

“ Hot readily,” was Tom’s reply. 

“ And yet,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ during its progres¬ 
sive motion it rolls on its edge without any disposition to fall: 
how happens that ?” 

“ It is owing to the centrifugal force, which gives it a mo¬ 
tion in the direction of a tangent to the circle, and, conse¬ 
quently, overcomes the force of gravity.” 

“ Your answer is pat,” replied his father: “as long as you 
give your hoop a certain degree of velocity, the tangential , or 
centrifugal force, overcomes gravity, in the manner you have 
already witnessed ;f but, when that is slackened, the hoop 
will fall on its side; not, however, until it has made several 
complete revolutions. How, answer me another question. 
Why is it so difficult to make the hoop proceed straight for¬ 
ward, without turning to the right or left ?” 

* See page 68, + See page 138, 



154 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“I suppose it arises from the same cause as that which 
altered the direction of my marble as it ran along—the ine¬ 
quality of the ground.” • 

“That,” replied his father, “would undoubtedly have its 
influence; but it is principally to be referred to the impossi¬ 
bility of your giving constantly a straight blow by the stick. 
When it is moving forward, a slight inclination toward either 
side will cause the parts to acquire a motion toward that 
side, those which are uppermost being most affected by it; 
and this lateral or sideway motion, assisted sometimes by the 
irregular curvature of the hoop, causes its path to deviate 
from a rectilinear direction; so that, instead of moving 
straight forward, it turns to that side toward which it began 
to incline; and, in this position, its tendency to fall is still 
further counteracted by the centrifugal force. It is from a 
similar cause that the bullet, unless rifled, will have a ten¬ 
dency to go to the right or left, from any unequal impulse 
which it may have received at the moment of its exit from 
the barrel. I have yet one other question, and, as its answer 
will lead us into the consideration of a mechanical subject of 
some importance, I must beg you to bestow all your atten¬ 
tion. In trundling your hoop, have you not often observed 
that, although the blow inflicted upon it by your stick might 
have been violent, yet the effect produced by it was compara¬ 
tively small, in consequence of the hoop having been struck 
by a disadvantageous part of the stick ?” 

“ Certainly! I have frequently observed that, if the hoop 
is struck by the stick either too near the hand, or too near 
the end, much of its force is lost; and I have also noticed 
the same thing in striking the ball with my cricket-bat.” 

“ The fact is,” said Mr. Seymour, “ that every striking 
body has what is termed its center of percussion, in which all 
the percutient force of a body is, as it were, collected; thus, 
a stick of a cylindrical figure, supposing the center of motion 
at the hand, will strike the greatest blow at a point about 
two-thirds of its length from the wrist. I may, perhaps, at 
some future time, return to this subject, and explain several 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


155 


mechanical effects which are dependent upon it. Now away 
with you, and trundle your hoop, or spin your top; as soon 
as the vicar returns I will rejoin you.” 

“ Stop a moment,” cried the vicar; “ do you not remem¬ 
ber that the sword of Atrides in his conflict with Paris,* as 
did also that of Turnus in his engagement with JSneas,f broke 
short and was shivered? And why so? Because, as we 
may suppose, the blow was struck at a point distant from 
the center of percussion, and so produced a jarring vibration 
that shattered the blade.” 

“Thus then it would appear, vicar, that the gods were 
unjustly accused of an unfair interference, and philosophy 
is again to be charged with clipping the wings of poetic 
fancy.” 

In the course of an hour Mr. Seymour and his reverend 
friend proceeded to the play-ground, where they found the 
children busily engaged in their several diversions. 

“ I rejoice to find you at so classical a pastime,” said the 
vicar, as he approached Tom, who was busily engaged in 
spinning his top. “ The top, my boy, is a subject which the 
great Mantuan bard did not consider beneath the patronage 
of his muse; but, hey-day! this is not the ‘ volitans sub ver- 
bere- turbo ’ of the immortal Virgil; the top of antiquity was 
the whip-top, the peg-top is a barbarous innovation of mod¬ 
ern times: a practical proof of the degeneracy of the race. 
Even boys, forsooth, must now-a-days have their activity 
cramped by inventions to supersede labor: well may we re¬ 
gard the weapons, which our sturdy ancestors wielded, as 
instruments rather calculated for giants than men, if such 
pains be taken to instill into the minds of youth the mischiev¬ 
ous spirit of idleness.” 

“ My dear sir,” said Tom, who was always grieved at dis¬ 
pleasing the vicar, “if it will gratify you, I will spin my whip- 

* “ The brittle sword, unfaithful to his lord, 

Broke short.”— Iliad 3. 

t “ But all in pieces flies the traitor sword, 

And in the middle stroke deserts his lord.”— JEn. 12. 



156 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


top, for I have an excellent one which my papa has lately 
given me.” 

“ Well said! my dear boy. 1 Puer bonce, spei? —What a 
pity would it he to damp so noble a spirit! get your whip- 
top.” 

Tom accordingly placed the Virgilian top upon the ground, 
and as the boy plied the whip, so did the vicar lash the air 
with his quotation; running round the top in apparent ec¬ 
stasy, while he repeated the well-known lines from the sev¬ 
enth JEneid: 

“ Ille actus habena 
Curvatis fertur spatiis ; stupet inscia turba, 

Impubesque manus, mirata volubile buxum: 

Dant animos plagas.”* 

As Mr. Twaddleton thus gave vent to that fervor which 
was ever kindled by collision with Virgil, Tom gave motion 
to his top, which swaggered about with such an air of self- 
importance, that, to the eye of fancy, it might have appeared 
as if proudly conscious of the encomiums that had been so 
liberally lavished upon it. 

“ The Grecian boys, as Suidas informs us, played also with 
this top,” continued the vicar. 

“ And pray, may I ask,” said Mr. Seymour, “ whether it 
was not*introduced into this country by the Romans ?” 

“Probably,” replied the vicar. “Figures representing 
boys in the act of whipping their tops first appear in the 
marginal paintings of the manuscripts of the fourteenth cen¬ 
tury ; at which period the form of the toy was the same as 
it is at present, and the manner of impelling it by the whip 
<*can admit of but little if any difference. In a manuscript! 
at the British Museum, I have read a very curious anecdote 
which refers to Prince Henry, the eldest son of James the 
First: with your permission I will relate it to you.” 

* “ The wooden engine flies and whirls about, 

Admired, with clamors, of the beardless rout: 

They lash aloud; each other they provoke, 

And lend their little'souls at every stroke.”—D ryden. 
t Harl, lib. i. marked 6891. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


157 


Here the vicar extracted a memorandum-book from his 
pocket, and read the following note: 

“ The first tyme that he, the prince, went to the towne of 
Sterling to meete the king, seeing a little without the gate of 
the towne a stack of corne, in proportion not unlike to a 
topp, wherewith he used to play, he said to some that were 
with him, ‘ Loe there is a goodly topp whereupon one of 
them saying, ‘ Why doe you not play with it then V he an¬ 
swered, ‘ Set it up for me, and I will play with it.’ ” 

“Was not that a clever retort of the young prince?” said 
the vicar, as he returned the manuscript into his memoran¬ 
dum-book ; “ and I think it must have confounded the cour¬ 
tier who could have asked so silly a question.” 

“ Well, Tom,” said Mr. Seymour, “ let us see whether you 
can set up your own top, so that it shall stand *steadily on its 
point.” 

“ I have often tried that experiment,” answered Tom, 
“ but could never succeed in keeping the fine of direction 
within its narrow base.” 

“ And yet, when in rotatory motion, its erect position is 
maintained without difficulty: how is that ?” 

“ Is it not owing to the centrifugal force ?” asked Tom. 

“ Undoubtedly; but as the subject is highly interesting, I 
will endeavor to explain it more fully. You must, however, 
first obtain permission from the vicar to spin your humming- 
top, for that will better illustrate the phenomena winch it is 
my wish to examine.” 

“ If your object is the exercise of the body, let us spin the 
whip-top,” replied the vicar; “ but if you wish to exercise 
the boy’s mind, I cannot object to your selecting the top best 
calculated to fulfill that desire.” 

Tom, having accordingly prepared his top, pulled the string, 
and set the wooden machine spinning on the floor. 

“ Now, Tom, I will explain to you the reason of the top 
being able to sustain its vertical position. You have already 
learned, from the action of the sling, that a body cannot 
move in a circular path without making an effort to fly off 

14 




158 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


in a right line from the center ;* so that, if a body he affixed 
to a string and whirled round by the hand, it will stretch it, 
and in a greater degree according as the circular motion is 
more rapid.” 

“ Certainly,” said Tom. 

“ The top, then, being in motion, all 'its parts tend to re¬ 
cede from the axis, and with greater force the more rapidly 
it revolves ; hence it follows that these parts are like so many 
powers acting in a direction perpendicular to the axis; but, 
as they are all equal, and as they pass all round with ra¬ 
pidity by the rotation, the result must be that the top is in 
equilibrio on its point of support, or on the extremity of the 
axis on which it turns. But see, your top is down.” 

“ And what is the reason,” asked Tom, “ of its motion be¬ 
ing stopped ?”» 

“ I can answer that question, papa,” said Louisa; “ is it 
not owing to the friction of the ground ?” 

“ Certainly; that has, doubtless, its influence, but the re¬ 
sistance of the air is also a powerful force upon this occasion. 
A top has been made to spin in vacuo as long as two hours 
and sixteen minutes.! But come, Tom, spin your top once 
more. Observe,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “how obliquely 
the top is spinning. It is now gradually rising out of an ob¬ 
lique position;—now it is steadily spinning on a vertical axis; 
—and now its motion is so steady that it scarcely seems to 
move.” 

“It is sleeping,\ as we call it,” said Tom. 

“ Its center of gravity is now situated perpendicularly over 
its point of support, which is the extremity of the axis of ro- 

* Page 137. 

t Short on “ Serson’s Horizontal Top.” Phil. Trans, xlvii. 352. 

$ Plain matter-of-fact persons, like yon and the author, gentle reader, will 
be content to regard the term “ sleeping ” as simply expressive of that quies¬ 
cent state which the top thus assumes. Not so, however, Mr. Prybabel, who, 
smiling at our simplicity, informs us that the phrase is derived from the Ital¬ 
ian word topo, a mouse, from which the Italian proverb, u U dormo comma 
un topo,"—He sleeps like a dormouse—has been corrupted into, “He sleeps 
like a top." 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


159 


tation: but attend to me, continued Mr. Seymour, “for I am 
about to attempt tbe explanation of a phenomenon which 
has puzzled many older and wiser philosophers than your¬ 
selves. It is evident that the top, in rising from an ob¬ 
lique to a vertical position, must have its center of gravity 
raised; what can have been the force which effected this 
change ?” 

“Was it the centrifugal force?” asked Tom. 

“ Certainly not,” said Mr. Seymour, “ as I will presently 
convince you.” 

“ Then it must have been the resistance of the air,” said 
Louisa. 

“ Mo, nor was it the resistance of the air,” replied her fa¬ 
ther ; “ for the same effect takes place in vacuo” 

“ Then pray inform us by what means the top was raised.” 

“ It entirely depended upon the form of the extremity of the 
peg, and not upon any simple effect connected with the rota¬ 
tory or centrifugal force of the top. I will first satisfy you 
that, were the peg to terminate in a fine, that is to say, in a 
mathematical point, the top never could raise itself. Let 
a b c be a top spinning in an ob¬ 
lique position, having the end of 
the peg, on which it spins, brought 
to a fine point. It will continue 
to spin in the direction in which 
it reaches the ground, without the 
least tendency to rise into a more 
vertical position; and it is by its 
rotatory or centrifugal force that it is kept in this original 
position: for if we conceive the top divided into two equal 
parts a and b, by a plane passing through the line x o, and 
suppose that at any moment during its spinning the connec¬ 
tion between these two parts were suddenly dissolved, then 
would any point in the part a fly off with the given force in 
the direction of the tangent, and any corresponding point in 
the part b with an equal force in an opposite direction; 
while, therefore, these two parts remain connected together, 





160 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


during the spinning of the top, these two equal and opposite 
forces a and b will balance each other, and the top will con¬ 
tinue to spin on its original axis. Having thus shown that 
the rotatory or centrifugal force can never make the top rise 
from an oblique to a vertical position, I shall proceed to ex¬ 
plain the true cause of this change, and I trust you will be 
satisfied that it depends upon the bluntness of the point. Let 
a b o be a top spinning in an oblique position, terminating in 
a very short point with a hemispherical shoulder p a m. It 
is evident that, in this case, the top will not spin upon a , the 
end of the true axis x a, but upon p, a point in the circle p m 
to which the floor i f is a tangent. Instead, therefore, of re¬ 
volving upon a fixed and stationary point, the top will roll 
round upon the small circle p m on its blunt point, with very 
considerable friction, the force 
of which maybe represented 
by a line o p at right angles to 
the floor i f, and to the spher¬ 
ical end of the peg of the top: 
now it is the action of this 
force, by its pressure on one 
side of the blunt point of the 
top, which causes it to rise in 
a vertical direction. Produce 
the line o p till it meets the axis 
o; from the point o draw the 
line o t perpendicular to the axis a x, and t o parallel to it; 
and then, by a resolution of forces, the line t o will represent 
that part of the friction which presses at right angles to the 
axis, so as gradually to raise it in a vertical position; in 
which operation the circle p m gradually diminishes by the 
approach of the point p to a, as the axis becomes more per¬ 
pendicular, and vanishes when the point p coincides with the 
point a, that is to say, when the top has arrived at its vertical 
position, where it will continue to sleep, without much friction, 
or any other disturbing force, until its rotatory motion fails, 
and its side is brought to the earth by the force of gravity.” 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


161 


“I think I understand it,” said Tom, “although I have 
some doubt about it; but if you would be so kind as to give 
me the demonstration in writing, I will diligently study it.” 

“ Most readily,” said Mr. Seymour. “ Indeed I cannot ex¬ 
pect that you should comprehend so difficult a subject with¬ 
out the most patient investigation; and, in the present state 
of your knowledge, I am compelled to omit the relation of 
several very important circumstances, to which I may, here¬ 
after, direct your attention. When, for instance, you have 
become acquainted with the elements of astronomy, I shall 
be able to show you that the gyration of the top depends 
upon the same principles as the precession of the equinoxes.’* 



14* 




162 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 



CHAPTER IX. 

TEAP AND BALL.-GIFTS FROM THE VICAR.-AN ANTIQUARIAN HIS¬ 
TORY OF THE BALL.-TENNIS.— GOFF, OR BANDY-BALL.-FOOT-BALL. 

-THE GAME OF PALL-MALL.-THE SEA-SAW.-THE MECHANICAL 

POWERS.-THE SWING.-THE BANDILOR.—THE DOCTRINE OF OSCIL¬ 

LATION.—Galileo’s discovery.—the pendulum.—an interest¬ 
ing LETTER.-MR. SEYMOUR AND THE VICAR VISIT MAJOR SNAP- 

WELL. 


Mr. Seymour, having observed his children busily engaged 
at the game of Trap and Ball, determined, as usual, to make 


































MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


163 


it subservient to scientific instruction. 'With this view he 
hastily sketched a diagram, and proceeded with it to the 
scene of sport. 

“ Now, Tom, let me see how far you have profited by our 
late conversation. I have some questions to ask you about 
the action of your Trap and Ball,” said Ills father. 

“ I do not suppose there is much philosophy in the game,” 
observed Tom. 

“ Of that we shall judge presently.—Can you tell me the 
direction which the ball takes after it flies from the spoon of 
the trap, in consequence of the blow of the bat upon the 
trigger ?” 

“ It flies upward, to be sure, and allows me to strike it with 
my bat,” answered the boy. 

u Very true; but at what angle?—I see you hesitate; look 
therefore at the diagram I have prepared, and attend to my 
explanation of it.” 

Mr. Seymour produced the sketch which we here present 
to our rq|ders. 



E 


R 



“ a b represent the spoon and trigger in their quiescent 
position. Upon striking the end b with the bat, they are 
brought into the position o d. The spoon will thus have 
described the small arc a o, when it will be suddenly stopped 
by the end of the trigger d coming into contact with the 
shoe. The motion of the ball, however, will not be arrested, 
and it will consequently be projected forward out of the 
spoon.” 









164 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


“ Exactly,” exclaimed Louisa, “ in the same manner as the 
shilling flew off the wine-glass, or a person on a galloping 
horse would be thrown over the head by its suddenly stop¬ 
ping.” 

“ I thank you, Louisa; your memory, I perceive, has not 
suffered from the drenching you received from the water- 
cart 4*—but can you tell me,” continued Mr. Seymour, “the 
direction which the ball will take after its release from the 
spoon?” 

This was a step beyond Louisa’s knowledge, and her father, 
in order to assist her, begged her to consider in what direc¬ 
tion it was moving before it left the spoon. 

“ You have just told us,” said Tom, “ that it described an 
arc, or portion of a circle.” 

“ Very well,” said Mr. Seymour; “ and did not the philos¬ 
ophy of your sling teach you that, when a body revolving in 
a circle is suddenly disengaged, it will fly off in a right line in 
the direction in which it was moving at the instant of its 
release ?—the ball therefore will describe the tangent o e.” 

“It is all clear enough to me now,” said Tom, evidently 
vexed that he had overlooked a principle which had been so 
lately explained to him by the action of his sling. 

“ I now see, too,” added Tom, “ why the ball seldom flies 
off at the same angle in every trap.” 

“ That,” said his father, “ must of course depend upon the 
extent of the arc described by the spoon, and which will of 
course vary in different traps.” 

“ Before we conclude the subject, let me ask you whether 
there is not some one point in the bat, at which you can most 
effectually strike the ball ?” 

“To be sure,” answered Tom, “in the same way that 
there is a point in my hoop-stick at which I can give the 
strongest blow—and that point is termed the Center of Per¬ 
cussion.” 

“Enough,” said Mr. Seymour; “see, here comes the 
vicar.” 


* See page 79. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


165 


True to the hour appointed, did Mr. Twaddleton make his 
appearance, just at the conclusion of the discussion above de¬ 
scribed ; and, as he approached the party, Louisa observed 
that "he was carrying a canvas-bag in his hand. 

“ What have you there?” asked Mr. Seymour: “ a sack of 
sugar-plums ?” 

“ Mo, no; spheres of larger diameter. Here,” said the 
vicar, as he opened his bag, “ is a foot-ball for you, Tom; 
and here is a hand-ball for you, Louisa.” He then presented 
each of the other children with a similar present, exclaiming— 

“ ‘ Nemo ex hoe numero mihi non donatus abibit,’* 
as Yirgil has it.” 

“Perhaps,” said Mr. Seymour, “you will enhance the 
value of this favor by giving us an antiquarian history of the 
ball, which will be very acceptable to us at this time, as we 
have just concluded a philosophical inquiry upon that sub¬ 
ject.” 

To this request the vicar readily assented, and proceeded 
as follows: 

“ The Greeks appear to have played with four kinds of ball: 
viz., the little ball, the great ball , the empty ball (<j<f>aipa Kwrj), 
which was blown up with air, like our foot-ball, and the 
leathern ball {k^vkov), which was suspended from the ceiling, 
and stuffed with bran or sand, as those who tossed it were 
robust or delicate. The Romans,” continued the vicar, “had 
also four kinds of pilce, or balls : the follis , a large ball made 
of leather and blown up with air, like our foot-ball; the lar¬ 
ger kinds of which were struck with the arm, the smaller 
ones with the fist. Suetonius tells us that Augustus Csesar 
greatly delighted in the amusement; and in truth it was a 
glorious sport, an exercise equally adapted for the young and 
old; or, as Martial has it,— 

4 Folle deeet pueros ludere,/o^e senes.’ ”+ 

* “Not one among you shall depart without a gift from me.”— JEn. y. 305. 

t Lib. xiv. epig. 43. 



166 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“And yet,” said Mr. Seymour, “neither Horace nor Vir¬ 
gil played at it; do you not remember the lines in the fifth 
satire ?— 

‘ Lusum it Maecenas, dormitum ego Virgiliusque; 

Namque pild lippis inimieum et ludere crudis.’ ”* 

“ Many thanks, Mr. Seymour, many thanks for brushing 
up my recollection; but I am a little doubtful about the game 
at which Msecenas played at Capua: I have, by the by, 
lately readf an account of a peculiar game of ball for which 
the city of Sierra is celebrated, and it is supposed to be that 
referred to by Horace—‘ It is played in the foss, which has a 
very high wall, and it is not unlike a tennis-court; the ball 
is very large, and appears to be inflated with air; the arm 
is defended by a wooden guard or shield; at certain periods 
of the game, one of the players runs down a spring-board, 
and throwing the whole of his weight, momentum, and 
strength upon the ball, as it is thrown toward him, he strikes 
it to an astonishing distance.’ The second kind of ball,” 
continued the vicar, “was termed trigonalis , which is con¬ 
jectured to have been nearly the same as our tennis-ball. It 
derived its name from the position of the three persons who 
played with it; they were placed in a triangle, and alter¬ 
nately caught and tossed the ball, and he who first let it fall 
to the ground was the loser. The third kind of ball was the 
j paganica, as being much used in country villages. Some 
authors state it to have been constructed of leather and 
stuffed with feathers, while others conjecture it to have been 
a large kind of follis. The fourth was the harpastum; a 
small ball, so called because the gamesters endeavored to 

* “ Maecenas goes to tennis, hurtful game 
To a weak stomach, and to tender eyes; 

So down to sleep with Yirgil, Horace lies.”— Fbancis. 

Horace suffered from weak eyes, and Yirgil from shortness of breath; so that 
Maecenas, when sitting between them, used to say that “ Tie was between tears 
and sighs." 

t “ Two hundred and Nine Days,” or “ The Journal of a Traveller on the 
Continent,” by Jefferson Hogg. London, 1827. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


167 


snatch it from each other. The ball was thrown unexpect¬ 
edly to some one of the players, and he as unexpectedly 
threw it at another; hence it caused a variety of anxious and 
watchful movements.” 

“ It seems,” observed Louisa, u to be a sport better adapt¬ 
ed to boys than girls.” 

“ In that supposition you are quite mistaken,” replied the 
vicar; “ on the contrary, the hand-ball would seem to have 
been originally a female sport, for Homer has restricted the 
pastime to the princess and young maidens of Corcyra; at 
least, he has not mentioned its ever having been practiced by 
the men; but upon this point critics differ. 

1 O’er the green mead the sporting virgrins play, 

Their shining veils unbound; along the skies, 

Toss’d and retoss’d, the ball incessant flies.’ ”* 

Mr. Seymour said that, as the vicar had satisfied them of 
the high antiquity of the ball, he hoped he would now afford 
them some information respecting its use in England. 

“ The game of hand-ball,” said the. vicar, u called by the 
French palm-play , because the exercise consisted originally 
in receiving the ball, and driving it back again with the palm 
of the hand , was formerly a favorite pastime among the 
youth of both sexes ; and in many parts of the kingdom it 
was customary for them to play at this game during the 
Easter holidays for tansy cakes. In ancient times, the mayor 
and aldermen of Newcastle used to go in state at the feasts 
of Easter and Whitsuntide, to a little mall of the town, to 
witness this game. It was originally played with the naked 
hand; then with a glove, which in some instances was lined; 
afterward, cords and catgut strings were bound upon the 
hand to make the ball rebound more forcibly.” 

“ That custom,” observed Mr. Seymour, “ doubtless, gave 
origin to the racket .” 

“It did,” replied the vicar; “and the places where this 
game was played were called tennis-courts , and the game 


* Pope’s Odyssey, lib. v. 



168 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


itself obtained the name of tennis , from the Trench word 
tenez* (take it, hold it), frequently used during the exercise. 
The pastime, I believe, was introduced among our ancestors 
about the year 1222, the sixth year of Henry III., by persons 
of superior rank and family, who erected courts or oblong 
edifices for the performance of the exercise.” 

“ I long to hear something about foot-ball,” exclaimed Tom. 

w That is a pastime,” said the vicar, “ which was formerly 
in great vogue in England, but of late years it has fallen into 
disrepute, having apparently merged in the more popular game 
of cricket. f It derives its name, as you may suppose, from 
the circumstance of the ball being driven by the foot, in pref¬ 
erence to the hand. When a match is made, two parties, 
equal in numbers, take the field, and stand between two 
goals, which are placed at the distance of eighty or a hun¬ 
dred yards from each other. The ball, which is commonly 
a blown bladder, cased with leather, is delivered in the midst 
of the ground, and the object of either party is to drive it 
through the goal of their opponents, by which the game is 
won. The abilities of the performers are best displayed in 
attacking and defending the goals, whence the pastime is 
more frequently called a goal , than a game at foot-ball. In 
this attack and defense, the exercise becomes exceedingly 
violent; the players kick each other’s shins without the 
least ceremony; and this occasioned James I. to speak of 
foot-ball as c meeter for laming than making able the users 
thereof ,” 

“I believe,” said Hr. Seymour, “that the ancient game of 
goif is still much practiced in Scotland.” 

“ It is,” replied the vicar. “ In the reign of Edward III. 

* This etymology has been disputed, and it has been said that the holding 
or keeping possession of the ball is no part of the game; for, during the play, 
the ball is in continual motion, or passing from one to another. Others seek 
the etymology of the name, and the origin of the game, in a place in France, 
called Tennois, or, by a change of one letter, Sennois, in the district of Cham¬ 
pagne, where balls were first made, and the game, as it is said, first intro¬ 
duced. 

+ Cricket , from a Saxon word signifying a stick. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


169 


the Latin name cambuca , a crooked club, or staff, was applied 
to this pastime, because it was played with such an instru¬ 
ment. The bat was also styled a bandy , from its being-bent; 
and hence the game itself is frequently called bandy-bally 

“And how is it played?” asked Tom. 

“ It is played on a smooth common, by driving forward 
two small hard balls with the bandy I have .just described, 
into very distant holes in the ground, about a foot deep, and 
nine inches over; and the party whose ball is driven into 
these holes with the fewest strokes is the victor.” 

“You have omitted to speak of that favorite game in 
the reign of Charles II., called Pall Mall” observed Mr. 
Seymour. 

“ I thank you for reminding me; it was a game played in 
a vista, now bearing the name of the Mall , in St. James’s 
Park, at the end of which stood a pole, with a hoop suspend¬ 
ed from an arm at its top, through which the ball was to be 
driven.” 

“ But come,” said Mr. Seymour, “ it is high tune to think 
of our dinner; the children must require some refreshment. 
I am not, my dear vicar, one of those philosophers who be¬ 
lieve that play was invented by the Lydians* as a remedy 
against hunger; nor do I subscribe to the opinion of the el¬ 
der Scriblerus, that it was on such an account wisely con¬ 
trived by Nature, that children who have the keenest appe¬ 
tites should, at the same time, be those who are most addicted 
to sport.” 

“ Whether you believe or not that the Lydians invented 
sports shall not be a subject of contest between us,” said the 
reverend antiquary; “ but,” continued he, “ one thiug is quite 
certain, that the Lydian games were at first called Lydi by 
the Romans; and afterwards by corruption Ludi; a pre¬ 
sumption I must needs say in favor of the Lydian claim. But 
enough of this; to what do you propose we should next turn 

* Herodotus speaks of the inhabitants of Lydia having successfully had re¬ 
course to gaming as a partial substitute for food, during a famine of many 
years’ continuance. 


15 



1Y0 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


our attention ? I doubt not you have some new sport for 
our recreation as well as our instruction,” added the vicar. 

“We will, if you please, attend the children to their see¬ 
saw, which the gardener has lately constructed for them,” 
said Mr. Seymour. 

The party accordingly walked to the grove, in which a 
plank had beep placed across a wooden post; and upon 
which Tom and John had been riding for some time in the 
earlier part of the morning. The boys again mounted their 
new hobby; and, after amusing themselves for some minutes, 
Mr. Seymour desired them to stop, in order that Tom might 
explain the principle upon which the see-saw acted. Tom re¬ 
plied, that he was not aware of any principle which could 
apply to riding on a plank. 

“ Have I not often told you, my dear boy, that the princi¬ 
ples of Natural Philosophy may be brought to bear on the 
most trivial acts of life? Listen, therefore, and you shall 
find that your present amusement teems with instruction. 
You are already well acquainted with the nature and opera¬ 
tions of the center of gravity; tell me, therefore, whereabouts 
it lies in the plank upon which you are riding.” 

“ I should think,” replied Tom, “ that in this instance the 
centers of gravity and magnitude must coincide, or be very 
nearly in the same point.” 

“ The center of gravity must, as you say, be very nearly 
in the middle of the board ; and if that be the case, you will 
allow that, supposing those who ride upon it are of equal 
weight, the plank must be supported in the center to make 
the two arms equal; but you and John are of unequal weight, 
so that you perceive the plank must be drawn a little further 
over the prop to make the arms unequal; and John, who is 
the lighter, must be placed at the extremity of the longer 
arm. Thus arranged, you will exactly balance each other; 
and as each of you, on your descent, touches the ground with 
your feet, the reaction affords you a spring, which destroys 
the equilibrium, and enables you to oscillate in arcs about the 
center of motion.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


171 



“Do we then describe the arcs of a circle as we ascend 
and descend?” 

“ Undoubtedly you must. Look at this diagram,” said Mr. 
Seymour, “ and you will see at once that the plank can only 
move round its center of motion; for how could you rise, or 
your brother fall, perpendicularly in a straight line? You 
must, in rising, and he, in descending, describe arcs of your 
respective circles. It is equally evident that his velocity must 
be very superior to yours; for, if you could swing quite 
round, you would each complete your respective circles in the 
same time.” 

“ It would really appear so,” said Tom; “ and I have my¬ 
self observed that the lighter person has the better ride, as he 
moves both further and quicker, and I now understand the 
reason of it; it is because, being further from the center of 
motion, he describes a larger arc.” 

“ The greater velocity with which your little brother moves, 
renders his momentum equal to yours. You have the most 
gravity, he the greatest velocity; so that, upon the whole, 
your momenta are equal: for you, no doubt, remember that 
momentum is weight multiplied into velocity.* You have 


* See page 74. 





172 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


here then a striking instance of mechanical advantage gained 
by opposing motion to matter, or velocity to weight; for I 
think you will readily admit, that, without the aid of the 
plank, your little brother could never have raised you from 
the ground.” 

“ That is clear enough,” said Tom. 

“The plank, then, thus arranged,” continued his father, 
“ constitutes what has been termed a mechanical power, to 
which the name of lever has been given; it is not, however, 
my intention at present to enter into the history of these 
powers, of which there are six distinct kinds; the one pre¬ 
sented to you, in the instance of the see-saw, is perhaps the 
most simple, and not the least important of them.” 

“ It is very curious,” observed the vicar, “ to reflect upon 
what a simple, and apparently trifling fact, the powers of civ¬ 
ilized man may be said to depend. The single truth you have 
just announced, of making velocity a compensation for weight, 
has supplied his weak arm with the means of controlling the 
very elements.” 

“It is very true,” said Mr. Seymour; “ and we might go 
so far as to say that, had it been the will of the Almighty 
Creator of the universe to have withheld from matter that 
property which we have been discussing, man must have re¬ 
mained the most helpless and forlorn of his creatures. I now 
propose,” added Mr. Seymour, “to accompany the children 
to their swing; the present is a suitable opportunity for giv¬ 
ing them some idea of the doctrine of oscillation, or the 
theory of the pendulum.” 

“Let us proceed, then, to the Icarian Game” exclaimed 
the vicar. 

As the party walked along, Mr. Twaddleton explained the 
meaning of the above allusion, with which the reader will be 
hereafter made acquainted. The children had commenced 
the sport, and Mr. Seymour informed Tom and Louisa, who 
were attentively watching the motions of the swing, that its 
vibrations, like those of the pendulum of a clock, were produced 
by its effort to fall, from the force of gravity, and its power- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


173 


of ascending through an arc similar and opposite to that 
through which it has descended, from the momentum ac¬ 
quired during its descent. 

“ Like the bandilor, I suppose,” said Louisa. 

“ Exactly, my dear, that is a very good comparison; for 
as the bandilor, having descended along the string by its 
gravity, acquires such a momentum as to enable it to ascend 
the same string, and thus, as it were, to wind itself up; so 
does the pendulum or swing, during its descent, acquire a 
force that carries it up in an opposite arc to an equal height 
as that from which it had fallen. But tell me, Tom, whether 
you have not discovered that the motion of your new swing 
differs from that which yQU experienced in your former 
one ?” 

“The ropes of our present swing are so much longer 
than those which we formerly used, that the motion is much 
pleasanter.” 

“ Is that all ?” said Mr. Seymour. “ Have you not observed 
that you also swing much slower ?” 

“ I have certainly noticed that,” said Tom. 

“ It is a law which I am desirous of impressing upon your 
memory, that the shorter the pendulum, or swing, the quicker 
are its motions, and vice versa ; indeed, there is an established 
relation between the velocity and the length, which I shall 
hereafter endeavor to explain to you. Galileo, the celebrated 
philosopher, and mathematician to the Duke of Florence, ac¬ 
cordingly proposed a method of ascertaining the height of the 
arched ceiling of a church by the vibrations of a lamp sus¬ 
pended from it. The solution of the problem was founded on 
the law to which I have just alluded, but which involves 
mathematical considerations, with which it is not my present 
intention to perplex you. How it is known that, in the lati¬ 
tude of London, a pendulum, if 39 inches and two tenths in 
length, will vibrate seconds, or make 60 swings in a minute; 
by observing, therefore, how much the pendulous body devi¬ 
ates from this standard, we. may, by the application of the 
appropriate rule, find its length; if the distance from the bot- 
15* 



174 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOBT 


tom of the lamp to the pavement be then measured, which 
may he done by means of a stick, and added to the former 
result, the sum will give the height of the arch above the 
pavement; hut I will show you the experiment the next time 
we go into Overton church; the vicar can tell us the exact 
height of the roof, and I will try how nearly I can approach 
the truth, by observing with a stop-watch how many seconds 
one vibration of the chandelier continues.” 

“ But, papa, why, surely the duration of its vibration must 
depend upon the force which you may happen to give to the 
chandelier ?” 

u Not in the least; and this brings us at once to the con¬ 
sideration of the most curious and important fact in the his¬ 
tory of the pendulum, and for a knowledge of which we are 
also indebted to Galileo.* It is termed the isochronous t prop¬ 
erty, or that by which all its vibrations, whether great or 
small, are performed in exactly the same period of time; but 
that you may he better able to comprehend this subject, at¬ 
tend to the diagram which I have prepared for your instruc¬ 
tion. Suppose that the swing 
or pendulum a b he raised to o, 
it will, in effect, he raised the 
perpendicular height e o, and in 
falling will describe the arc o b ; 
and, in the point b, it will have 
that velocity which is acquired 
by descending through o b, or 
by a body falling freely through the perpendicular o e. This 
velocity will he sufficient to cause it to ascend through an 
equal arc b d, to the same height from whence it fell at o ; 
and since the times of ascent and descent are equal, it will 
describe both these arcs in exactly the same space of time. 
Having lost all its motion at d, it will again begin to descend 

* This discovery was published at Paris, in a treatise called “ V Usage du 
Cadran, ou de VHorloge Physique UmverseUe in the year 1639; from 
which may be dated the invention of the pendulum. 

+ Compounded of the Greeks words 7<ros, equal, and xprfroj, time. 


A. 










MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


m 


by its own gravity; and in the lowest point b it will acquire 
the same velocity as before, which will cause it to reascend 
to o; and thus, by ascending and descending, it will perform 
continual vibrations in the circumference cbd; and, were it 
not for the resistance of the air, and the friction at the center 
of motion a, the vibrations would never cease; but from these 
obstructions, though small, it happens, that the velocity of 
the mass of matter at b is a little diminished in every vibra¬ 
tion ; and consequently it does not return precisely to the 
same points o or d, but the arcs described continually become 
shorter and shorter, till at length they grow insensible; and 
yet the very same time is required for the performance of the 
shorter as the longer arcs; for, although in the one case the 
body passes over less space, still its velocity is proportionally 
decreased. You perceive, then, that in an attempt to ascer¬ 
tain the height of a ceiling by the vibrations of a chandelier, 
the extent of its swing cannot alter the time which may be 
required for its completion. And, if you will place your little 
brother in the swing, you will perceive that he will return 
t® your hand in nearly the same space of time, whether he 
decribes a large or small arc ; although this experiment must 
be considered as extremely rude, since there are many dis¬ 
turbing causes for which the theory cannot possibly make any 
allowance. I must, moreover, warn you that, where the arc 
described is very considerable, the difference in the time will 
be greater; for in order to insure this property of vibrating 
through unequal arcs in equal times, it is necessary that the 
path of the body should describe a peculiar curve, called a 
cycloid, and not the segment of a circle; at present, however, 
it- is not possible for us to enter into this difficult branch of 
science, although I trust that at some future period I shall be 
justified in an attempt to explain it.” 

Mr. Seymour, having concluded his lecture, was about to 
return to the Lodge, when Mrs. Seymour approached the 
party, carrying in her hands a letter, which the smile on her 
countenance announced to contain agreeable intelligence. 

“ I have just received,” said Mrs. Seymour, “ a letter from 



176 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


Miss Yillers, whom you must all remember as a most delight¬ 
ful person. I am informed that she is about to be married to 
the nephew of a gentleman who is at present in our neigh¬ 
borhood in search of a country residence.” 

“ Does she mention the gentleman’s name ?” inquired the 
vicar. 

“ Mr. Henry Beacham,” said Mrs. Seymour. 

“ The nephew of Major Snapwell, I declare,” exclaimed the 
delighted vicar. 

The whole party participated in the pleasure which their 
excellent friend expressed at this discovery, and Mr. Seymour 
immediately accompanied Mr. Twaddleton to Ivy Lodge, to 
congratulate the major, and to make such arrangements as 
might expedite the purchase of Osterley Park, and the conse¬ 
quent introduction of a family into the neighborhood of Over- 
ton, from whose society the Seymours anticipated the highest 
satisfaction. 

At the same time Mrs. Seymour hastened to dispatch a 
letter to Miss Yillers, in order to solicit her immediate pres¬ 
ence at Overton Lodge. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST, 


177 



CHAPTER X. 

MARBLES.-ANTIQUITY OF THE GAME.-METHOD OF MANUFACTURING 

THEM.-RING-TAW.—MR. SEYMOUR, THE VICAR, AND TOM ENTER THE 

LISTS.-THE DEFEAT OF THE TWO FORMER COMBATANTS ; THE TRI¬ 

UMPH OF THE LATTER.—A PHILOSOPHICAL EXPLANATION OF THE 

SEVERAL MOVEMENTS.-A GOSSIPING INTERLUDE.-THE RUDIMENTS 

OF THE STEAM-ENGINE FIRST APPEARED AS A TOY.-THE NATIVE 

CHILDREN OF THE ORINOCO PERFORM AN ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENT. 

-THE SUBJECT OF REFLECTED MOTION ILLUSTRATED.-THE VICAr’s 

APOLOGY, OF WHICH MANY GRAVE PERSONAGES WILL APPROVE. 


In our last chapter we left Mr. Seymour and his reverend 
friend on their way to Ivy Cottage: it is only necessary to 
state that the major received them with that satisfaction and 
gratitude which the nature of tlieir visit could not fail to pro¬ 
duce. Plans were proposed, and arrangements concluded, 
for the furtherance of the object we have announced; in 




















































178 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


short, in the brief space of an hour, the major had determined 
the course of his future life, and had framed schemes of hap¬ 
piness, and visions of domestic peace, which he impatiently 
sought to realize. The vicar was detained by the major, but 
Mr. Seymour quitted Ivy Lodge and returned to his family. 
He found the children engaged at playing at marbles. Tom 
was displaying to his sisters many instances of his adroitness 
and skill in shooting at and hitting marbles. 

“Why, Tom,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “how came you 
possessed of such a multitude of marbles ?” 

“ By luck, good luck, papa: I won them all before the 
holidays; and I can assure you that my school-fellows ac¬ 
knowledge me as one of the best players at ring-taw in the 
school.” 

“ Justly, then, has your merit been rewarded,” said the 
father. “Have you not read of the skillful Roman, who 
could blow peas through a quill, and deposit them with such 
nicety on the point of a pin, placed at some distance, as rarely 
to miss his aim ?” 

“ And what was his reward?” asked Tom. 

“ A bushel of peas, my boy, which the emperor command 
ed to be presented to him. But do not misunderstand me; 
far be it from my wish to disparage your skill: whatever we 
undertake, we should endeavor to accomplish; I am, there¬ 
fore, well pleased to find that you can play at marbles with 
so much success.” 

“ I wonder who invented marbles,” said Tom. 

“ That question, my dear, must be addressed to Mr. Twad- 
dleton, who, I have no doubt, will immediately answer it.” 

Scarcely had these words been spoken, when their “ Fidus 
Achates ” appeared on the lawn. Mr. Seymour informed him 
of the subject of their conversation, and added, that he had 
just told the children he was sure he would readily answer 
their question. 

“Mot so readily as you may imagine,” replied the vicar- 
“ but I will tell you all I know upon the subject. It appears 
to be a very ancient game; for it is stated by Suetonius, that 

10 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


179 


Augustus, when a youth, spent many hours in the day in 
playing with little Moorish boys ‘cum nucibusj that is, with 
nuts , which appear to have been then used in the very way 
in which you now play with your marbles. In later times, 
round stones, picked out of gravel, were introduced for this 
purpose. The marbles which you now hold in your hand are 
substitutes of still more modern invention. The best of them 
are imported from Holland, where, as I have been informed, 
they are manufactured by grinding fragments of alabaster and 
of other stones, in an iron mill of a peculiar construction, in 
which there are several partitions furnished with rasps, which 
turn with great velocity, by means of a stream of water; and 
thus, having rounded the stones, project them out of different 
holes for which their size may adapt them. Thus manufac¬ 
tured, they are brought down the Rhine, and from thence 
dispersed throughout Europe; immense quantities are also 
Exported to India and China. There are, however, as you 
well know, inferior kinds, which are of home manufacture, 
and consist of potter’s clay, covered with a glaze, and burnt 
in a furnace.” 

“ I have often wondered what is the meaning of the words 
taw and ally” observed Tom. 

“ Why, your taw is a brown marble, and your ally , if I re¬ 
member rightly, a very white one: is it not so?” asked the vicar. 

“To be sure,” said Tom. 

“ Very well, then,” said the vicar, “ the words are clearly 
abbreviations of tawny and alabaster .” 

“ How then,” said Mr. Seymour, “ for a game; what is it 
to be, Tom?” 

“Ring-taw foreverl” cried Tom; “it is the only game of 
marbles worth playing at.” 

“It is really so long since I left school,” observed his fa¬ 
ther, “ that I must beg you to refresh my memory, and give 
me some instructions about this favorite game of yours.” 

“ I will tell you all about it. We must first draw a circle, 
on which each player is to put a certain number of marbles 
to be previously agreed upon ; we then make a mark at .some 



180 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


distance, which is called the offing, and from which we are 
to shoot at the marbles in the ring.” 

“ That is all very intelligible,” observed his father ; “ and 
I suppose the object of the player is to shoot a marble out of 
the ring, which not only gives him that marble, but entitles 
him to shoot again at another, and so on, until he misses, or 
all the marbles are won.” 

“ That is right, papa.” 

“ And a good marksman,” observed the vicar, “ who has 
the first shot, may easily win the game, before any other 
player can gain the opportunity of shooting at a single marble.” 

“I see that clearly,” said Mr. Seymour; “he may strike 
out a marble from the circle, and then shoot at another, and 
in this manner traverse the whole ring; I therefore conclude 
that good players will always demand a large ring, or else 
there would not be much chance for any one, except for him 
who played first.” 

“ That is the game; but I must tell you,” said Tom, “ that 
if the player should leave his own marble in the ring, he is 
at once put out; and should it be within a certain distance 
on the outside, an adversary may shoot at it, and, by hitting 
it, put him also out of the game.” 

“ I believe that I am now a perfect master of the subject,” 
said Mr. Seymour; “ what say you, vicar ?” 

“ I understand it; and it appears to me to be capable of 
some scientific calculation; but the practical results must, of 
course, differ very widely from the theory, for the uneven¬ 
ness of the ground, and the inaccurate construction of the 
marble, are circumstances which never can be duly estimated.” 

“Certainly not,” replied Mr. Seymour; “these difficulties 
even exist at the game of billiards, where the table is smooth 
and perfectly horizontal: but we do not require perfect ac¬ 
curacy, an approximation to it will be sufficient for the pur¬ 
poses of illustration; we will, therefore, if you please, pro¬ 
ceed at once to the game, and I will endeavor to point out to 
Tom the nature and direction of the several forces by which 
each marble will be influenced.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 181 


Tom, accordingly, like the son of Cornelius Scriblerus, con¬ 
verted his legs into a pair of compasses, and described, with 
the toe of his shoe, the necessary circle upon the ground. 
Each party, by agreement, placed two marbles upon the ring, 
and it fell to the lot of the vicar to open the campaign. Mr. 
Twaddleton then advanced, and, with the assumed air of a 
true knight-errant, approached the ring, exclaiming with a 
loud voice, and with a gesture of inexpressible drollery, u I 
demand gracious leave that I may he delivered of my vow, 
and forthwith combat in the listsso saying, he unfurled 
his red banner, and sounded a trumpet; or, in more humble 
phraseology, he extracted his handkerchief from his pocket, 
and, applying it to his nasal organs, produced a loud and 
thrilling blast, which frightened every sparrow from its rest¬ 
ing-place. After this preliminary ceremonial, he marshaled 
his limbs into the most appropriate attitude, and, thrusting 
one hand behind the exuberant tail of his coat, he, with the 
other, shot forth his missile at the largest marble opposite to 
him. His taw faithfully delivered its errand, and inflicted 
such a blow upon the paunch of his antagonist, that, although 
nearly twice the size of its assailant, like a true bully, it 
skulked off, and retreated several feet beyond the lists; but, 
alas! the little marble of the vicar, unlucky wight! was so 
stunned by the operation, that it staggered, and reeled back¬ 
ward into the ring, and thus, according to the established 
law of the field, completed by one act the total defeat of its 
luckless commander. 

“ Your marble is left in the ring!” exclaimed Tom, with a 
shout of triumph. 

“I see how it happened,” said Mr. Seymour; “ the vicar 
struck the'marble plump, or ‘ played a full ball,’ as we say at 
b illia rds, and the result easily admits of explanation. You 
already know that a marble possesses elasticity ; when, there¬ 
fore, the one in the ring was struck, it went off with a velo¬ 
city equal to that with which the striking marble approached 
it, while the latter, in return, received a blow equal to that 
it gave, which destroyed its motion. When we go back into 

16 



182 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


the library, I will exhibit a very pretty experiment in further 
elucidation of this philosophical truth.” 

It was now Mr. Seymour’s turn to enter the lists. He 
carefully applied his knuckles to the ground, and, taking aim 
at a little marble which he had selected as his victim, gal¬ 
lantly shot the missile from his thumb and finger; but, alas! 
alas! the goddess, whatever may he her name, who presides 
over this species of tournay, doubtless saw the impending 
fate of her favorite, and after the example of Yenus, who 
turned aside the weapon fr.om iEneas, assumed the shape of 
a small pebble, and thus arrested the fatal course of the mar¬ 
ble, and gave it a new direction, which sent it curveting 
through the ring, without committing one single act of de¬ 
vastation. 

“ Bravo! bravo !” exclaimed Tom ; “ it is now my turn.” 

The boy, according to the usage of the field, might at once 
have won the game by striking his father’s marble: hut 
he was too magnanimous to take such an advantage, and too 
eager to display his own skill, to cut the game short by a 
maneuver: he had determined to win his laurels by hard 
fighting and generalship. He accordingly proceeded to strike 
a ring marble; in effecting which he had, like the vicar, chal¬ 
lenged a gigantic lenight as his antagonist; hut instead of 
striking it plump, he struck its upper quarter, so that it was 
rolled out of the ring, while the striking marble, imparting 
only a portion of its momentum, continued to move forward 
after the impact. This course was greeted with the acclama¬ 
tions of Mr. Seymour and the vicar, the latter of whom de¬ 
clared it to have been “ nobly run,” and gallantly accom¬ 
plished ; and, extracting a sixpence from his waiscoat pocket, 
exclaimed, after the manner of chivalry, “ Largesse , largesse , 
glory to the sons of the brave! glory to the invincible knight 
of the taw!” 

The boy had not only struck the marble out of the ring, 
hut he had, at the same time, contrived to place his own 
marble in the most favorable position for his future opera¬ 
tions ; and, indeed, it may be here observed, that in this con- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


183 


si^ts the art of playing the game. It is almost unnecessary to 
add that Tom won every marble in succession. 

Mr. Seymour then proceeded to explain the laws of impact, 
by which the movement of each marble was directed. He 
observed, that the subject embraced two propositions, viz., 
the direction of the object marble after having been struck, 
and that of the striking marble after the stroke. He said 
that, if a straight line were drawn between the centers of the 
striking and object marbles, it would necessarily pass through 
their point of contact, and, if continued, would represent the 
path of the latter after the blow. In order to find the direc¬ 
tion of the striking marble after the shock, he told him that 
he must imagine a tangent to the path of the object ball drawn 
from its center, and then a line parallel to it, from the center 
of the striking marble; the latter of which would be the re¬ 
quired path. 

Mr. Seymour now inquired whether there was any other 
game of marbles at which they could amuse themselves. 

“ The game which we call ‘ lagging out ,’ ” replied the boy, 
“ is amusing enough. It consists in striking your marble 
against the wall, and making it rebound, so as to hit any 
other marble that is placed at a certain distance from it, or 
to come within a span of it.” 

“ I understand,” said his father, “ and, like ring-taw , it 
may be made subservient to our purpose of illustrating the 
doctrine of forces; although I think that the principle of re¬ 
flected motion may be more readily explained by the rebound¬ 
ing ball.” 

Mr. Seymour here took the elastic 
liquely against the wall, from which 
it rebounded in an opposite and 
equally oblique direction. He then 
sketched the annexed figure, and pro¬ 
ceeded as follows:—“ When I threw 
the ball against the wall b, in the 
direction a b, having struck it, it 
glanced off, making an angle, in its passage back again, equal 


ball, and threw it ob- 

JB 






184 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


to that which it made in its approach to the wall. If I draw 
the perpendicular b d, this fact will he rendered more appa¬ 
rent, and you will perceive that the angle abd is equal to 
the angle obd; the former is termed the angle of incidence, 
the latter the angle of reflection ; and these angles, remem¬ 
ber, are always equal, provided the hall under experiment he 
perfectly elastic.” 

“Do you mean to say,” asked Tom, “that the more ob¬ 
liquely I throw the hall against the wall, the more obliquely 
it will rebound?” 

“Exactly; that is my meaning; and see whether you can¬ 
not explain the fact, for it depends on the composition and 
resolution of the forces, a subject which I should hope you 
thoroughly understand.” 

Tom pondered for some time over the drawing, and at 
length observed that there was one difficulty which he could 
not immediately surmount. 

“ State your difficulty,” said Mr. Seymour. 

He proceeded to observe that the force acting in the direc¬ 
tion a b would certainly be resolved into two others, viz., 
one in the direction e b, and another in that of bb; “be¬ 
cause,” continued he, “these lines are the adjacent sides of 
the parallelogram, of which a b is the diagonal; and I well 
know that, whenever a force strikes obliquely, it is thus re¬ 
solved.” 

“ That is all very well explained,” replied his father * “ pray 
proceed.” 

“Now comes the difficulty,” continued Tom; “for the 
force d b will of course be destroyed by the wall, and that 
represented by f b, which is the only one that can remain, 
would carry the ball to e.” 

“ It certainly would do so,” answered his father, “ if the 
ball were perfectly devoid of elasticity; but remember that, 
in consequence of this property, the force d b will be ex¬ 
changed for one in an opposite direction, b d.” 

“ I had entirely overlooked the elasticity,” said Tom; “ I 
now see my way clearly, for in that case there must be two 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


185 


forces acting in the directions b d, b e, which will, of course, 
drive the ball down the diagonal b c.” 

“Your demonstration is perfectly correct, my boy; and I 
think you will now admit that I could not have adduced a 
more beautiful instance of the composition and resolution of 
forces; for, in the first place, you resolve the diagonal force 
into two others, and then you recompound these to produce 
another diagonal one.” 

“ But I think you told us that the angles of incidence and 
reflection were only equal when the rebounding body was 
perfectly elastic.” 

“ Clearly so; the force d b must be exchanged for an equal 
one b d, or else the angle a b d cannot be equal to the angle 
d b o; but I will render this fact still further intelligible by 
another diagram. Let b, as in the former case, represent the 
wall upon which the imperfectly elastic body impinges in the 
direction a b. —The force will of course be resolved into two 
others, viz., into d b and f b ; the force d b, however, instead 
of being replaced by the opposite one b d, will now be repre¬ 
sented by the shorter line b 
g ; or that of b h or b i, ac¬ 
cording to the degree of elas¬ 
ticity. If we, therefore, 
complete the parallelogram, 
b o, b k, or b m will be 
the diagonal path of the 
body; making, as you per¬ 
ceive, the angle of reflection 

d b o, greater than that of incidence a b d ; and where the 
body is perfectly inelastic, the force d b will be wholly de¬ 
stroyed and, the force b e alone surviving, the body will be 
carridti along the line be. I have now,” continued Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, “explained to you the principal laws which govern 
those forces by which your ball or marbles are actuated. It 
is true that in practice you cannot expect the results should 
accurately coincide with the theory, because, in the first 
place, you cannot obtain marbles that are of equal density 

16 * 









186 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


and elasticity, and of true figure; and in the next, there will 
be obstacles against which it is impossible to guard. The 
spinning of the marble will also have a material influence on 
its motion, as we have already discovered. In the game of 
billiards, where every obstacle is removed, as far as art can 
assist, the theory and practice are often strangely discordant. 
But we have dwelt sufficiently upon the subject; we will, 
therefore, return to the library, where I intend to exhibit an 
experiment in further elucidation of the subject of collision.” 

The party accordingly proceeded on their return. 

“I hope,” said Mr. Seymour, addressing himself to Mr. 
Twaddleton, who was walking a few paces before him, “ that 
the maiden ladies have not espied their vicar at a game of 
marbles; if they should, what a chuckling would there be at 
their next tea party.!” 

“ A fig for the spinsters!” exclaimed the vicar, as he has¬ 
tily turned round, and arrested the progress of the party 
by his gesture. “You really speak, Mr. Seymour, as though 
it were derogatory to my character to descend from the 
more austere pursuits to the simple but innocent amusements 
of youth. Believe me, Sir, that I am not so old as to have 
forgotten that I was once young.” 

“ Once young! say, ever young. I only lately observed, 
when you were playing with your ball and marbles, that they 
appeared to possess the power of restoring the vigor of youth, 
like the apples of the Scandinavian goddess Iduna,” observed 
Mr. Seymour. 

“And let me remind you,” said the vicar, “ that the Per¬ 
sian ambassador found even Agesilaus, the Lacedemonian 
monarch, riding on a stick.” 

“ True; and the ambassadors of Henry the Fourth found 
him playing on the carpet with his children,” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. “ If you fall back upon authority, I am quite ready to 
stand as surety for your honorable acquittal. I suppose you 
remember that Socrates was partial to the recreation of riding 
on a wooden horse, for which, as Valerius Maximus informs 
us, his pupil Alcibiades laughed at him.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


187 


“ I care not who laughs at me,” exclaimed the vicar: u ‘ the 
world may laugh again, and I may live to do it kindness.’ I 
enjoy the amusements of youth, and am as willing as was old 
Acestes to join their games.* I entirely agree with Dr. Paley, 
in regarding the pleasure they afford as a striking instance of 
the beneficence of the Deity— 

‘ Deus nobis hsec otia fecit,’ 

as Virgil has it.” 

The vicar proceeded in a strain of unusual animation— 
“ Toys and games, my dear friend, have served to unbend the 
wise, to occupy the idle, to exercise the sedentary; and, let 
me add, to unwrinkle the aged, for, by reviving the pleasant 
recollections of youth, what a cheering glow is cast over the 
evening of life!” 

“ And,” interposed Mr. Seymour, “ I hope you will also 
add, to assist the young in acquiring knowledge, as well as to 
aid the sage in his labors to extend it; for I may here inform 
you that, by means of the soap-bubble, Faraday has succeeded 
in discovering new laws regarding the magnetic action of dif¬ 
ferent gases.” 

“ It might also be easily shown that the rudiments of the 
steam-engine first appeared in the form of a toy,” observed 
the vicar. 

“ I suppose you allude to the Eolipyle of Hero of Alexan¬ 
dria?” 

“Exactly so; and I have been told that our gas-lights 
were first suggested by boys filling the howl of a tobacco- 
pipe with burning coal, and inflaming the vapor that issued 
from its tube.” 

Mr. Seymour here remarked that many of our valuable 
inventions were little less than cleverly developed toys, sep¬ 
arated from each other, he was ready to admit, by no incon¬ 
siderable chasm; thus did Humboldt witness on the shores of 
the Oronoco the native copper-colored children of the forest 
amusing themselves by rubbing the dry, flat, shining reeds of 
* ASn., lib. v., ver. 719. 



188 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


some leguminous plant, for tlie purpose of causing them to 
attract fibres of cotton, or bamboo; and he very philosophi¬ 
cally exclaims, “ How wide is the interval which separates 
this simple knowledge of electrical excitement by friction 
from the invention of the metallic conductor, the voltaic pile, 
and the magnetic telegraph!” 

“ All you have thus related,” observed the vicar, “ at least 
proves, what I am sure must afford you the highest satisfac¬ 
tion, that even these wild children of the forest entertained 
Philosophy in Spoet.” 

The foregoing digression having been concluded, the party 
at once proceeded to the Lodge, where Mr. Seymour produced 
a piece of apparatus for the purpose of exhibiting the experi¬ 
ment he had promised, in illustration of the doctrine of the 
collision of elastic bodies. 

“Here are two ivory balls,” said he, “suspended by 
threads ; I shall draw one of them, a, a little on 
one side; now I let it go, it strikes, you see, 
against the Other ball, b, and drives it off to a 
distance equal to that through which the first 
ball fell; but the motion of a is stopped, be¬ 
cause, when it struck b, it received in return a 
blow equal to that it gave, and its motion was 
consequently destroyed. To extend the experiment, here are 
six ivory balls hanging in a row; I will draw the first out of 
the perpendicular and let it fall against the second; see! see! 
none of the balls appear to move except 
the last, whieh you perceive flies off as 
far as the first ball fell. I should like 
to hear you explain this.” 

- Tom observed that, when the first 
ball struck the second, it received a blow 
in return, which destroyed its motion; and that the second 
ball, although it did not appear to move, must have struck 
against the third, the reaction of which set it at rest; that 
the action of the third ball must have been destroyed by the 
reaction of the fourth, and so on, until motion was com- 












MADE SCIENCE IN EAENEST. 


189 



municated to the last ball, which, not being reacted upon, 
flew off. 

Mr. Seymour commended Tom for his explanation; hut he 
begged him to understand that such an effect only occurred 
when the balls were elastic; and he proceeded to exhibit the 
difference between elastic and inelastic bodies by another ex¬ 
periment. “ When you raise one of these in¬ 
elastic balls made of clay, out of the perpen¬ 
dicular, and let it fall against the other, e, the 
action and reaction, not being augmented by 
the force of elasticity, are insufficient to destroy 
the motion of the former; only part of the 6 & E D 
motion d will, therefore, be communicated to e, and the two 
balls will move together to d e, which are less distant from 
the vertical line than the ball was before it fell.” 

Before we close this chapter, we cannot resist the pleasure 
of informing our readers that Major Snapwell, in company 
with his legal adviser, had quitted Overton, for the purpose 
of making such preliminary arrangements as the purchase of 
an estate must necessarily require. It is not our intention to 
accompany them; nor shall we travel over the plains of 
parchment, nor wade through the rivers of ink, which sepa¬ 
rate the confines of verbal agreement and legal possession; 
but, claiming the prerogative of authors, we shall dip our wing 
in the cup of inspiration, and, by a single flourish of our 
feathered talisman, at once put the worthy major in the un¬ 
disturbed possession of his newly-purchased mansion, and 
install him in one of Daw’s most comfortable elbow-chairs, 
surrounded by all the luxuries of polished life. 




190 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 



CHAPTER XI. 

MR. SEYMOUR AND HIS FAMILY VISIT THE MAJOR AT OSTERLEY PARK. 

-A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN THE VICAR AND THE MAJOR.-THE 

SUCKER.-COHESIVE ATTRACTION.-PRESSURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 

-MEANING OF THE TERM SUCTION.-CERTAIN ANIMALS ATTACH 

THEMSELVES TO ROCKS BY A CONTRIVANCE ANALOGOUS TO THE 

SUCKER.-THE LIMPET.-THE WALRUS.-LOCOMOTIVE ORGANS OF 

THE HOUSE-FLY.-A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.-A SCENE IN THE VIL¬ 

LAGE, IN WHICH DR. DOSEALL FIGURES AS A PRINCIPAL PER¬ 
FORMER.-THE VICAR’S SENSIBLE REMONSTRANCE.-THE DENSITY 

OF THE ATMOSPHERE AT DIFFERENT ALTITUDES.-THE BOTTLE IMPS. 

-THE POP-GUN.-THE AIR-GUN.-AN ANTIQUARIAN DISCUSSION, IN 

WHICH THE VICAR AND MAJOR SNAPWELL GREATLY DISTINGUISH 
THEMSELVES. 


In the course of the ensuing week Mr. and Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour proceeded to offer their congratulations to the new 
proprietor of Osterley Park. On being ushered into the 
library, they were not a little surprised and startled by the 
loud voice of the major, who, addressing Mr. Twaddleton, 
exclaimed, 



























































MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


191 


“ Never will I again suspect the antiquity of your rarities, 
nor question the rarity of your antiquities?” 

“ Mr. and Mrs. Seymour,” said the major, “ welcome to 
Osterley Park. You find me, as usual, engaged with our 
friend in a learned controversy, and I begin to fear that my 
warmth may have offended him.” 

“Offended me!” exclaimed the vicar; “oh no. No, in¬ 
deed, my dear Major Snap well; a difference of opinion on 
an antiquarian subject may excite my regret, and in some 
cases, as in the present instance, awaken my pity, but it can¬ 
not offend me ; it can never occasion any feeling like anger: 
that would be to visit the folly of others upon myself.” 

“ What is the subject of your difference, gentlemen ?” 
asked Mr. Seymour. 

“ The evidences of druidical rites, as deducible from cer¬ 
tain cavities to be found in granitic rocks, and which have 
received the appellation of rock basins ,” replied the major. 

“And of which,” exclaimed Mr. Twaddleton, “I have a 
most unquestionable specimen, collected by no less a geologist 
than the curator of the cabinet at Penzance, from that an¬ 
cient metropolis of the druids, Carn-bre hilly 

“ I admit,” said the major, “ that I never before saw so 
perfect a specimen; it is as spheroidal internally as if it had 
been actually shaped by a turning-lathe.” 

“And yet, in spite of such evidence,” replied the vicar, 
“you question it’s sacred origin, and deny its ever having 
been used as a pool of lustration.” 

Mr. Seymour here interposed.—“ Upon a subject of purely 
historical difficulty, I might feel diffident in offering myself as 
an umpire between such learned antiquaries; but, as the ori¬ 
gin of ‘ rock basins’ involves a geological question, I will ven¬ 
ture to deliver an opinion. Depend upon it, vicar, that you 
are maintaining a position that cannot be defended; these 
uncouth cavities, together with all the fancied statuary of 
Borlase, have never been shaped by any chisel but the tooth 
of time, nor have any artists but the elements been engaged 
in their formation.” 







192 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


“ What say you to that, vicar ?” triumphantly exclaimed 
the major. 

“ Oh, impiety, impiety !” cried the vicar ;— 

“ 1 Hostis habet muros, ruit alto a culmine Troja,’ 

as Maro has it. That such glorious monuments, which 
have so long braved the tempests, should fall under the 
hammer of these Philistines! Geology, Mr. Seymour, is 
infidelity in masquerade; remember the mites in the Chesh¬ 
ire cheese, Mr. Seymour, ‘ consider their ways and be 
wise.’ ” 

“ Philistines as we are, in your opinion,” replied his oppo¬ 
nent, “ our forges have served to sharpen your weapons 
against the attacks of infidelity.” 

“ Come, come, gentlemen,” said Mr. Seymour, “ the con¬ 
tinuance of this discussion can neither amuse nor instruct us. 
I have, however, some intelligence to communicate which 
will soothe every feeling of irritation. We have received a 
letter from Isabella Villers, in answer to an invitation to 
Overton, and she graciously accepts it, and purposes being 
with us on Wednesday next.” 

The major was delighted, and conversed upon various 
points connected with the intended union of his nephew with 
that lady, which we do not think it necessary to relate in 
this place. The vicar and major shook hands, and it was 
proposed that they should dine at Overton Lodge the follow¬ 
ing day, and, as a specific overture, that the major should 
visit the vicarage in his way, and again inspect some of the 
disputed antiquities of the reverend collector. 

The following morning was occupied with the considera¬ 
tion of those different toys which are indebted for their oper¬ 
ation to the pressure of the atmosphere. 

“Tom,” said Mr. Seymour, “fetch hither your leathern 
sucker.” 

“John is, at this moment, amusing himself in the garden 
with the one which I brought with me from school,” replied 
Tom. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


193 


“ Then you shall construct another for yourself. Here is 
leather and string.” * 

“ This leather is too stiff; but I may, perhaps, make it an¬ 
swer the purpose by first soaking it.” 

Having allowed it to remain in water for a short time, the 
leather became sufficiently pliable for his purpose; he there¬ 
fore cut it into a circular shape, and affixed a string through 
its center. The juvenile party now hastened to the lawn, 
and, having once again dipped his newly-constructed sucker 
into the water, the ingenious boy placed it upon a stone, 
pressed down the leather with his foot, and succeeded in 
making it raise the weight. 

“ Well done, my boy! How, then, explain the reason of 
the leather’s adhesion to the surface, and of its being thus 
capable of retaining its hold, notwithstanding the gravity of 
the stone.” 

“In the first place,” answered Tom, “the edges of the wet 
leather, from being closely pressed, stuck with sufficient firm¬ 
ness to the smooth surface of the stone, to resist the force of 
the string as I pulled it upward; the consequence was, that 
a hollow was formed in the middle part of the leather; and, 
as that hollow place cannot contain any air, it is called a 
vacuum .” 

“ Very well,” replied his father, “ so far you are right; but 
you have not informed me in what manner a vacuum acts in 
preventing the stone from quitting the leather.” 

“ It makes it adhere to it by some kind of suction , but I 
confess that I do not exactly understand the subject.” 

“ Then let us proceed cautiously and deliberately in the 
explanation. In the first place, you have said, and said cor¬ 
rectly, that the edges of the leather adhere to the stone; but 
what is the nature of the power to which this adhesion is to 
be referred ? I perceive you are puzzled by the question: 
attend, then, to my explanation : you must know that there 
exists a tendency in all bodies to adhere together, provided 
the contact of their surfaces be sufficiently perfect; this prop¬ 
erty is termed cohesion , or cohesive attraction, from the Latin 

17 




194 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


word cohcereo ,which I need not inform yon signifies to stick 
together . *The dry leather will not adhere to a smooth sur¬ 
face, because, in that case, the contact cannot he rendered 
sufficiently perfect; but, when saturated with water, the in¬ 
terstices of the leather are filled with that fluid, and the ine¬ 
qualities of the surface, which must always prevent close 
contact, are removed. If two bodies, when placed together, 
he not sufficiently smooth, or polished, it will he vain to 
make any attempt to produce their cohesion; sinco the par¬ 
ticles will, in such a state, touch each other only in a few 
points; whereas, if well polished, the number of points of 
contact is greatly increased, and the cohesion becomes very 
evident. It is for this reason that carpenters, when they 
intend to glue pieces of wood together, plane the surfaces per¬ 
fectly smooth, before they apply the glue. In like manner, 
if two leaden bullets, having each a flat surface of a quarter 
of an inch in diameter, be scraped smooth, and then forcibly 
pressed together, they will cohere so strongly as to require 
the force of 100 lbs. to separate them.” 

Tom here acknowledged that he had not before understood 
the reason of the leather’s adhesion to the stone. 

“ Having, then, settled this point to your satisfaction,” con¬ 
tinued Hr. Seymour, “let us proceed. Your idea of a vacuum 
being formed in the hollow part of the leather is perfectly cor¬ 
rect : for, as you draw up the central part by the string, the 
hollow thus produced must necessarily be a vacuum , since 
the air cannot pass through the leather to supply it: in this 
state, therefore, the atmosphere presses upon the exterior of 
the leather, and like any other weight prevents its rising from 
the stone.” 

Fanny and Louisa here expressed some surprise, on hearing 
of the weight of the atmosphere: the former observed, that 
she did not feel any pressure from it. Their father explained 
the reason of their not being conscious of the weight, by in¬ 
forming them that their bodies contained air, which, by its 
elasticity, counteracted the pressure from without; but that, 
if it were possible to remove all the air which the body con- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


195 


tained, the pressure of the atmosphere would not be coun¬ 
teracted ; and the consequence would be, that we should be 
flattened like a pancake by its weight, which had been ascer¬ 
tained by experiment to be equal to fifteen pounds upon every 
square inch of surface, or as much as forty thousand pounds 
upon the body of a man of ordinary size. 

“ Until your explanation,” said Tom, “ I really believed 
that the leather adhered to the stone by some kind of suction, 
just as the back of my hand adheres to my lips, whenever 
I place it to my mouth, and draw in my breath.” 

Mr. Seymour here expressed a doubt whether his son was 
even yet a perfect master of the subject: he told him that 
there was no such operation in nature as suction ; that it was 
merely a popular term to denote the action of the air upon 
a vacuum. u Your hand,” said he, “ adheres to your mouth, 
in consequence of your forming a vacuum within it by for¬ 
cibly drawing in your breath, and the resistance which is op¬ 
posed to its removal arises entirely from the pressure of the 
atmosphere upon it. Many are the effects which may be ex¬ 
plained upon a similar princiole. I dare say you well remem¬ 
ber the astonishment which you expressed at the force with 
which the limpets attached themselves to the rocks.” 

“ O yes, papa,” exclaimed Louisa, “ I well remember when 
we walked on the sea-shore, that on first touching the limpets, 
they appeared loose and movable, but, before I had time to 
remove them, they fastened themselves as firmly as though 
they had been a part of the rock upon which they were fixed; 
how could that happen ?” 

Mr. Seymour replied, that these sea insects possessed the 
power of converting their whole bodies into suckers; and he 
informed them, that many other animals were endowed with 
a similar faculty. He instanced the claws of the polypus, 
which are furnished with many such suckers, by means of 
which the animal is enabled to hold to whatever it attaches 
itself, with very considerable force. 

“ Have you never observed,” asked Mr. Seymour, “ the 
security and ease with which flies frequently walk upon a 



196 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


smooth wall, or a pane of glass, or even along the ceiling, with 
their bodies downward ?” 

u To be sure,” replied Tom; “ but are not their legs pro¬ 
vided with some sticky matter, which enables them to pre¬ 
serve themselves from falling ?” 

“ That is a popular error, my dear; the fact is, that them 
feet are provided with little cups, or suckers, which they 
alternately exhaust and fill with air ; by which means they 
are enabled to walk in every position, over the most slippery 
surface. In like manner, the walrus, or seal, a painting of 
which you may remember to have seen in the Panorama of 
Spitzbergen, is capable of climbing the masses of slippery ice 
with perfect security.” 

At this moment Tom’s stone fell from the sucker. Louisa 
inquired how it could have happened. 

“ The circumstance is to be easily explained,” said her fa¬ 
ther. “ The atmosphere, by its pressure, ultimately forced 
its way through the edges of the sucker; its interior there¬ 
fore became filled with air, and it consequently balanced the 
external weight, which had before confined it.” 

“I think,” said the vicar, “ that Tom must now surely un¬ 
derstand the theory of the leathern sucker; what say you, my 
boy ? Cannot you exclaim with Persius, ‘Intus et in cute 
novi?’” 

“ A quotation which I presume you would apply to the na¬ 
ture of the cavity , and the operation of the leather ,” observ¬ 
ed Mr. Seymour. 

“ Exactly,” answered the vicar. 

“ Then never more protest against the vice of punning; for 
a more atrocious specimen of the lusus verborum was never 
sported by the most incorrigible Johnian; but, to your classical 
fancy, any object inclosed in a Latin shrine appears as a deity.” 

The vicar had just drawn up his person into a suitable 
attitude for combat, and would, no doubt, have defended 
himself against this unexpected attack with his usual address, 
had not a circumstance occurred which put an abrupt termi¬ 
nation to the discourse. 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


197 


“ See! see!” exclaimed Louisa: “ what can have happened? 
There is Jerr j Styles, with a crowd of villagers, running to¬ 
wards us in the greatest state of agitation and alarm.” 

“ Jerry Styles? It is, indeed, as you say, my faithful clerk,” 
cried the vicar. “ Bless me—bless me, what can have hap¬ 
pened ? Is the vicarage on fire ? Has the old roof at last 
tumbled into the chancel ?” 

“ Oh, sir!—oh, my dear sir!” vociferated the terrified ser¬ 
vant of the church, whose blanched cheeks made his red nose 
appear like a volcano burning amidst a desert of snows, 
“ poor Tom Plank has blown the roof off his house, and is so 
dreadfully wounded that it is impossible for him to survive 
long, if, indeed, he is not already dead.” 

“ How did it happen ?” exclaimed several voices. 

“ From a speriment! a speriment! it all came from a flos- 
sical speriment /” replied the breathless clerk; “ but pray, 
gentlemen, come directly to the village; for mercy’s sake, 
gentlemen, don’t delay a moment.” 

The vicar and Mr. Seymour instantly proceeded with the 
terrified Jerry Styles toward the house of the unfortunate 
“plainer of deals:” they had not gone far before they met 
several other villagers, who informed them that Dr. Doseall 
was in attendance upon the wounded man, and had pro¬ 
nounced him to be in the greatest danger. 

On the arrival at the house, the roof of which they at once- 
perceived had not suffered in the fray, they learned that Tom 
Plank had been engaged in some experiments for producing 
a vacuum , in the prosecution of his new scheme of propelling 
passengers through a tunnel;* and that, in firing a mixture 
of oxygen and hydrogen gasqs, he had neglected the usual 
precaution, and blown up his apparatus; the stop-cock had 
been unceremoniously expelled through the window, and, in 
its passage, had ungraciously flown in the face of its master, 
and left the traces of its indignation in the form of a very 
^slight scratch upon his forehead : this accident, with a burn 

* Tom Plank seems to have entertained a project which has since been 
realized in the construction of the Atmospheric Railway. 

17* 



198 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


of the fingers, was the only personal injury he had sus¬ 
tained. 

“Come, come,” said Mr. Seymour, “no mischief has oc¬ 
curred, and the accident will, I trust, teach you more caution 
for the future. You are not the first adventurer who has 
burned his fingers by bubble speculations, and in vain at¬ 
tempts to raise the windy 

Dr. Doseall, however, with a countenance of stern compo¬ 
sure, and a portentous shake of the head, maintained that 
the accident was by no means so trifling as Mr. Seymour 
appeared to suppose; and, in conformity with this view of the 
case, he had prudently bled his patient largely, and directed 
sundry mixtures and lotions, together with a quantum suffi- 
cit of laudanum, in order, as he said, “ to keep down the 
swelling and puffing of the head,” although there were those 
present who were uncharitable enough to hint, that the 
swelling and puffing related rather to the doctor’s bill and 
character, than to the patient’s pericranium. 

After a short interval engaged in answering the numerous 
inquiries of the anxious spectators, the doctor, with an air of 
awful solemnity, advanced to the sufferer, and offered him a 
bolus of no ordinary size, upon the virtues of which he 
descanted in most touching language. 

“Avaunt!” exclaimed Mr. Seymour; “do you suppose 
that Tom Plank has the throat of the great dragon which the 
Indians believe to swallow the moon, and thus to produce 
the phenomena of lunar eclipses ? Away with thy treacle 
and pipe-clay; there cannot be the least pretext for this 
parade of remedies. I warrant you that Dame Mature, un¬ 
less she be put out of humor by your officious interference, 
will heal the scratch before to-morrow’s sunrise.” 

The doctor, as our readers will readily imagine, was very 
justly incensed at this ex-professional interference. His first 
determination was to treat the matter as a joke, and to turn 
the laugh against the unmannerly intruder; but the abortive 
smile was strangled in its birth, and suffused the hue of death 
over his visage. Never did a countenance, in the focus of his 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


199 


blue window bottle, by candlelight, exhibit a more ghastly 
pallor; and we can scarcely predict what might have been 
the consequence, had he not instantly administered a consoling 
cordial to his nostrils ; for, be it known that the doctor took 
snuff in the same extravagant proportion as his patients took 
physic. Having by these means recovered his self-possession, 
he instantly seized his cane, and, waving it with as much dig¬ 
nity as Jove is said to brandish his thunder, he departed in 
deep dudgeon, which was betrayed by a snarl, not unlike 
that of a hungry dog who is unexpectedly despoiled of a 
savory bone, and by a contortion of the face, similar to that 
we have observed in a child who has unfortunately mistaken 
aloes for liquorice. 

Ho sooner had the man of wrath and vials retreated from 
the field of blood, than Mr. Twaddleton advanced to the suf¬ 
fering artist, deeming the moment of bodily fear as affording 
a favorable opportunity for an attempt to reclaim him from 
the error of his ways. “ Tom Plank,” said he in a mild tone, 
“ hadst thou given ear to the warning voice of thy spiritual 
pastor, and, instead of ridiculing his advice at the sixpenny 
club, hadst, like a true Christian and worthy parishioner, 
given heed unto it, thou wouldst not, at this time, have been 
placed in such bodily peril. Mr. Seymour has consoled thee 
by his opinion; sincerely shall I pray that his judgment may 
be confirmed by the result, and that the visitation may have 
a salutary influence upon thy future conduct. Quit the 
pursuit of these bubbles, and leave wiser men to investigate 
the secrets of nature; let me exhort thee to return to thy 
craft, sow where thou canst reap; we cannot have figs from 
thorns, nor grapes from thistles; remember the proverb, ‘ An 
emmet may work its heart out, but can never make honey.’ 
One word more and I have done—suffer not the artist whose 
profit it is to furnish thee with materials, to flatter and cajole 
thee—‘ The dog wags his tail, not for thee, but for thy bread.’ ” 

As the party left the house, they met Mrs. Seymour, with 
Tom and Louisa, whose looks sufficiently testified the anxiety 
they had suffered. 



200 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“Is it all over? Is he dead?” asked Mrs. Seymour. 

“ Ho, no; he is quite safe; it was an extremely slight ac¬ 
cident, although Boseall wished us to believe that it was 
likely to terminate in some dreadful manner. The vicar 
thinks that it may prove the means of driving science out of 
Tom Plank’s head, and I intend to make it subservient to 
driving it still further into ours.” 

“ What do you mean?” cried Tom. 

“ I mean that it was an extremely apposite accident for 
illustrating the subject upon which we were engaged at the 
moment of interruption.” 

“ This is the second accident, then,” observed Louisa, “ that 
will have served us in our scientific studies. What a phi¬ 
losopher,” continued she, “ must Dr. Doseall become, if he 
profit by every accident he witnesses!” 

“ Knowledge, my dear girl, is not promoted by the oppor¬ 
tunity of seeing, but by the faculty of skillfully observing, and 
reflecting upon what we see; were it otherwise, the merit of 
a traveler might be at once estimatad by the number of shoes 
he had worn out. Whenever, therefore, you hear of a dis¬ 
covery having been made by accident , do not, on that account, 
depreciate the merits of its author. It is certainly true, that 
many an important truth has been brought to light from some 
casual observation, but the dexterity with which such obser¬ 
vation was applied constitutes the merit of the discov¬ 
erer.” 

“ For that remark I tender you my best thanks,” exclaimed 
the vicar: “if I might be allowed such a figure of speech, I 
should say that you have dexterously shot your arrow into 
the bull's-eye. If the prosperity of a jest lies in the ear of 
him who hears it, surely the right comprehension of phenom¬ 
ena must be determined by the faculties of him who observes 
them.” 

“ Without doubt,” answered Mr. Seymour; “ treasures of 
wisdom, like the wealth of the miser, often lie concealed un¬ 
der the least attractive exterior, and objects which the com¬ 
mon herd pass by as valueless are recognized by the observer, 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


201 


whose faculties have been sharpened by discipline, as stores 
of knowledge.” 

“Well, but to show in what manner the accident of Tom 
Plank bears upon the subject under discussion:—He had 
ignorantly fired a quantity of oxygen and hydrogen gases in 
a tin vessel; the consequence of the combustion was the im¬ 
mediate formation of a vacuum ; and what happened ? Why, 
the pressure of the external air, not being any longer balanced 
by elastic matter in the interior of the apparatus, crushed it 
with violence, as any other enormous weight might have 
done; and so ended the accident, which report magnified 
into a most awful catastrophe.” 

As the party proceeded on their way home, they contin¬ 
ued to discourse on the subject of the air’s pressure. 

“If the atmosphere exerts so enormous a pressure, and 
has so much weight,” observed Louisa, “ it is strange that it 
should not fall down on the earth.” 

Mr. Seymour replied “ that the air was a peculiar fluid, 
which, from its elastic properties, was distinguished by the 
term of an elastic fluid, the particles of which were too far 
distant from each other to exert any cohesive attraction 
among themselves.” 

“ But I suppose,” said Tom, “ that it gravitates, or is at¬ 
tracted by*the earth; what then can be the reason, as Louisa 
says, that it does not fall, like any other body, to the ground ?” 

“And so it actually doe’s,” replied Mr. Seymour: “the 
lower stratum of the atmosphere rests upon the ground, but 
the strata above it do not fall, because they are supported 
by the particles beneath them, in the same manner as the 
water at the surface of a basin is supported by that at the 
bottom: the only difference in these two cases arises from 
the one being an elastic, and the other an inelastic fluid; so 
that the air after compression resumes its original dimen¬ 
sions ; and since the atmosphere, by the aotion of gravity, is 
always in a state of compression, so is it always by virtue of 
its elasticity endeavoring to expand itself.” 

“ If, then, the force of gravity were diminished,” observed 



202 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


Louisa, “ the air would become much lighter, and I suppose 
that is the true reason of its being so much less dense in the 
upper regions.” 

“ Scarcely,” replied her father. u Have you forgotten the 
explanation* which I lately gave you, of the diminution in 
the weight of bodies at a distance from the earth’s surface?” 

“ I recollect it perfectly,” exclaimed Tom; “ and it ex¬ 
plained to us the reason that a marble fell from the top of 
a house, and from the ball of St. Paul’s, with the same ve¬ 
locity.” 

“And yet I am quite sure,” said Louisa, “that I have 
lately read an account of the air being so extremely light 
upon the top of a high mountain as to affect the breath and 
occasion great uneasiness.” 

“ I do not deny the fact, my dear; I only question your 
explanation of it. Can it not, think you, be accounted for 
upon some other principle than that of the diminished force 
of gravity ?” 

Louisa was unable to suggest any other probable reason. 

“The fact, then,” said the father, “is simply this: since 
the air is elastic, or capable of yielding to pressure, so, of 
course, the lower parts must be more dense, or in a greater 
state of compression, than those which are above them. In 
a pile of fleeces of wool, are not the lower fleeces pressed to¬ 
gether by the weight of the superior ones, and do they not 
lie light and loose in proportion as they approach the upper¬ 
most fleece, which receives no external pressure, and is con¬ 
fined merely by the force of its own gravity ?” 

“ Clearly,” said Louisa. 

“Well, then, we will suppose, for example, that the whole 
column of the atmosphere was divided into a hundred parts, 
and that each of these parts weighed an ounce; would not 
the earth, and all things on its surface, be, in such a case, 
pressed upon with the whole hundred ounces ?” 

“Ho one can deny that,” said Tom. 

“The lowest stratum of air,” continued Mr. Seymour, 

* See page 47. 





MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


203 


u would be pressed upon by the ninety-nine ounces above it; 
the next by ninety-eight; and so on, until we arrived at the 
ninety-ninth stratum from the bottom, which would, of 
course, be subjected to no more than one ounce of pressure, 
or to the weight of the last and highest stratum.” 

The children were perfectly satisfied with this simple ex¬ 
planation ; and Tom inquired whether, for the same reason, 
the water at the bottom of the sea must not be very dense, 
and unlike that we are accustomed to observe on the sur¬ 
face : his father, however, corrected this notion, by stating 
that water, not being, like air, elastic and compressible, would 
not sutler any material diminution in volume, although press¬ 
ed even by the enormous weight of the superincumbent ocean. 

“ I have before alluded to the relative compressibility of 
ah* and water, and the present appears a good opportunity 
for proving the fact by an amusing experiment. See! here 
are the ‘ Bottle Imps ,’ vicar, which you may remember I 
promised to introduce to your respectful notice,” said Mr. 
Seymour. u In this jar of water, carefully closed, as you 
may perceive, by parchment, are two little enameled figures, 
which shall be made to rise and fall, by alternately pressing 
upon and removing the hand from the cover : thus.” 

“ Why the spirit of Simon Magus 
must surely possess thee!” exclaimed 
the vicar. 

The children, as may be readily im¬ 
agined, were much astonished at so sin¬ 
gular an effect, and expressed much 
anxiety to be informed by what mech¬ 
anism it was produced. Their father 
accordingly proceeded with the follow¬ 
ing explanation. 

“ I have here,” said he, “ a figure ex¬ 
actly similar to those in the bottle, which 
we will now examine. You will observe, 
that in its center there is a cavity ter¬ 
minating in a small orifice in the lower 




























204 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


part; this cavity may he made to contain any quantity of 
air, so as to give the required buoyancy to the figure: now 
mark!—I press my hand upon the parchment cover, and the 
figure, you perceive, descends; I now remove the pressure, 
and see, it immediately reascends. The water in the bottle, 
as I have told you, is incompressible; when, therefore, I 
press upon the surface, it rises into the interior of the figure, 
and, consequently, by compressing the air into a less space, 
renders it less buoyant; but no sooner is the hand removed, 
than the inclosed air resumes its former volume, and expels 
the intruding water ; in consequence of which the figure re¬ 
gains its former lightness, and reascends. Do you understand 
me ?” asked Mr. Seymour. 

“Perfectly,” said Tom, “and many thanks for the expla¬ 
nation and in this opinion did the whole party concur. 

“Well, then,” continued Mr. Seymour, “you will now 
understand the use of the air-bladder in fish, for it is con¬ 
structed upon a precisely similar principle. When the fish 
desires to descend, it presses upon the bladder by means of 
its muscles, and thus condenses the included air into a small¬ 
er volume.”* 

“ I now also perceive why the water at the bottom of the 
sea cannot be much tnore dense than that on the surface; 
but, if we could dig a pit to the center of the earth, the ah’, 
in that case, would be highly dense, because, unlike water, it 
is compressible,” said Tom. 

“ The density of the air,” replied his father, “ would, un¬ 
doubtedly, materially increase as we descended. It has been 
calculated that at the distance of thirty miles below the sur¬ 
face, the air would have the same density as water; and at 
the depth of forty-two miles, that of quicksilver; while at 
the center it would be more solid than any substance of 
which we have any idea, for its density would be thousands 
of millions of times greater than that of mercury.” 

Mr. Seymour then informed his young pupils, that after 
the lesson they had just received they would never again be 
* In the cod-fish the air-bladder is familiarly called the sound. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


205 


puzzled by the motions of the barometer, which had so often 
excited their wonder. 

“ As the quicksilver is contained in a closed tube, I do not 
exactly understand how the air can act upon it; and if the 
tube were not closed, it would of course run out from its 
weight,” observed Louisa. 

“You are altogether in error,” said her father. “In the 
first place,” he continued, “ I will show you that the bulb at 
the lower extremity of the tube is open, in order that the 
quicksilver may freely communicate with the atmosphere, 
upon which, indeed, its action entirely depends; while the 
upper space is a perfect vacuum, so as to obviate any coun¬ 
teracting pressure. As to the quicksilver running out, have 
you so soon forgotten that the air presses upon every body 
on the surface of the earth, in the proportion of about fifteen 
pounds upon every square inch ? How it is from this circum¬ 
stance that the column of quicksilver is sustained in the tube, 
the ascent and descent of which thus indicates the varying 
pressure of the atmosphere; so that, when the barometer 
falls, we know the air presses less heavily upon the earth, and 
the contrary when it rises.” 

“ That I understand: but what can cause the pressure of 
the air to vary at different times ?” asked Tom. 

“ Cannot you imagine the atmosphere to be an airy ocean, 
and to be therefore thrown into enormous waves, so that we 
may sometimes have a longer column of air above us than at 
other times? this is one explanation; there may be other 
causes not so intelligible,” answered Mr. Seymour. “But 
enough of this for the present. How, before we quit the 
subject of the air’s elasticity, let us consider the philosophy 
of the pop-gun ; an amusement with which, I have no doubt, 
you are well acquainted.” 

“ Indeed I am, papa; but do you allude to the quill, or to 
the wooden pop-gun?” 

“ The principle in both is the same: tell me, therefore, the 
origin and nature of the force which enables you to shoot 
your pellet to so considerable a distance.” 

18 






206 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ It depends upon the action of the air,” replied Tom. 

“ Undoubtedly ; hut your answer is too general; I wished 
you to state, in precise terms, the changes which the air un¬ 
dergoes upon this occasion. You first ram in your pellet to 
the further end of the tube, do you not ?” 

u To he sure ; and then I drive in a second pellet, and, on 
forcing this forward, the first flies out with prodigious force.” 

“ Very well: now examine what takes place. On propell¬ 
ing forward your second pellet, you condense the air which 
is inclosed between the two, until its elastic force becomes so 
great as to overcome the friction of the first pellet; thus re¬ 
leased, the air expands with considerable force, and imparts 
a rapid motion to the pellet.” 

“I have frequently heard of the air-gun,” said Louisa; “I 
suppose it depends upon a similar principle.” 

“It does; and it affords a very striking example of the 
surprising force which ah is capable of exerting, when con¬ 
densed to a considerable degree; fob, by means of this instru¬ 
ment, bullets may be propelled with a force very nearly equal 
to that of gunpowder.” 

“ It is a curious fact,” observed the vicar, “ that, although 
the air-pump is a modern invention, yet the air-gun, which is 
so nearly allied to it in the construction of its valves and 
condensing syringe, should have existed long antecedent to it; 
for it is recorded that an air-gun was made for Henry IV. by 
Marin, of Lisieux, in Normandy, as early as 1408; and 
another was preserved in the armory at Schmetau, bearing 
the date of 1474.” 

“ But the air-gun of the present day,” said Mr. Seymour, 
“ is very different from that which was formerly made, and 
which, like the pop-gun, discharged but one bullet, and that 
after a long and tedious process of condensation; while it i 3 
now made to discharge five or six without any visible varia¬ 
tion of force, and will even act upon a dozen, but with de¬ 
creasing effect.” 

“ I feel very curious to learn something more about this 
air-gun,” said Tom. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


207 


“ There is a reservoir for the condensed air,” replied Mr. 
Seymour, “ which is secured by a nicely constructed valve, 
and which is made to open by pulling the trigger of the gun, 
so that a portion only of the air is disengaged, which, rushing 
into the barrel, gives motion to the ball.” 

“ But how is the condensed air introduced into the reser¬ 
voir?” asked Tom. 

“ By means of a condensing syringe,” replied his father; 
“ but I will take an opportunity of exhibiting the instrument 
in operation.” 

The reader will be pleased to recollect that the major agreed 
* to pay a passing visit to the vicarage; it now becomes our 
duty to record what happened upon that memorable occa¬ 
sion ; and we, perhaps, cannot better represent the nature of 
the discussion that took place than by relating the account, 
as it was given by the belligerent parties themselves, in con¬ 
versation with Mr. Seymour. 

“Well, gentlemen,” said Mr. Seymour, “is it peace or 
war ? I trust you have amicably adjusted all your differ¬ 
ences.” 

“ Upon my word,” answered the vicar, “ I have just reason 
to complain of the major’s unjustifiable skepticism Mpon points 
that are perfectly unquestionable.” 

“You continue then to smart under the major’s stinging 
criticisms, 4 majore sub hosts .’ There is a Latin pun for your 
consolation,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ The vicar alludes, I suppose,” said the major, “ to the 
doubt I expressed respecting the authenticity of his leathern 
money ?” 

“ That is one of the many subjects upon which, I must say, 
you have betrayed a deficiency in historical knowledge. Sen¬ 
eca informs us that there was anciently stamped money of 
leather; and the same thing was put in practice by Freder¬ 
ick II. at the siege of Milan; to say nothing of an old tradi¬ 
tion among ourselves, that, in the confused times of the 
barons’ wars, the same expedient was practiced in Eng¬ 
land.” 



208 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ You strangely mistake me,” replied the major; “ I never 
questioned the truth of these historical statements ; I know 
full well that numerous substances have, at different times, 
and in different countries, been adopted in exchange, as con¬ 
ventional representatives of property. I have already stated 
that cattle were employed as the earliest measure of value.* 
We find, for instance, in Homer, that the golden armor of 
Glaucus was valued at a hundred, and that of Diomedes at 
ten oxen.f Among the Indians, cowries , or small shells, are 
used; and the Abyssinians employ salt, bricks, and beads for 
this very purpose. The ancient Britons are said to have 
circulated iron rings as money. The Hollanders, we know, * 
coined great quantities of pasteboard in the year 1754; and 
Numa Pompilius certainly made money both of wood and 
leather.” 

“ And yet you doubt the authenticity of my leathern 
money, which I am fully persuaded was coined in 1360, by 
John, king of France, who, having agreed to pay our Edward 
the Third the sum of 3,000,000 golden crowns for his ransom, 
was so reduced as to be compelled to a coinage of leather, for 
the discharge of his household expenses.” 

“I have "only questioned the authenticity of that particu¬ 
lar specimen which I saw in your cabinet,” replied the ma¬ 
jor; “and so must any person who views it through a 
medium unclouded by prejudice. I will stake my whole 
library to a horn-book that our friend Mr. Seymour will 
agree with me in pronouncing it a fragment of the heel of an 
old shoe; let him observe the perforation, and say, if he can, 
that it has not been produced by a nail or peg. But really, 
my dear Mr. Twaddleton, you have forced me, much against 
my inclination, into this controversy.” 

“ Yery good, sir! very good! the heel of an old shoe, for¬ 
sooth! But I thank you, Major Snap well,” exclaimed the 

* Hence Pecwvia, from Pecus, and Opes quasi Oves. 

t The term Capital in its original signification, expressed the rude enu¬ 
meration of the stock by the Heads of the animals of which it was com¬ 
posed. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


209 


vicar with some warmth; “I thank you, sir. Your assertion, 
while it evinces your own want of historical information, 
establishes, beyond doubt, the authenticity of my treasure, 
and the triumph of my opinion.” 

“ Assuredly,” said Mr. Seymour, with a wicked smile. “I 
dare say there may be numerous holes in this leathern coin; 
for many have been the antiquaries who have doubtless 
pinned their faith upon it.” 

“Psha, psha!” cried the vicar; “for once, at least, Mr. 
Seymour, let me entreat you to be serious ; the subject, sir, is 
important, and merits your respect. It is from that very 
hole that I am enabled to identify the coin; yes, major, from 
that very hole, which you affect to despise, I am enabled to 
derive its principal claim to antiquity. Are we not expressly 
informed that the leathern money of John of France had a 
little nail of silver driven into it ?” 

“Well then,” continued the major, “ what say you to that 
tell-tale stitch, which I so unfortunately picked out with my 
penknife ?” 

“ Admirable ingenuity! most refined sophistry! provoking 
perversion!” exclaimed the vicar. “It is reallyamusing to 
observe the address with which the prejudiced observer dis¬ 
torts every fact to his own advantage. Why, bless me, sir, 
that stitch is strong enough to drag fifty such opponents out 
of the slough of unbelief.” 

“ Do explain yourself,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“Explain myself! the stitch speaks for itself, sir. Were 
not these leathern coins strung together in different numbers, 
to facilitate payments? For you will admit that it would 
have, been extremely inconvenient to have coined single pieces 
of leather, of different denominations. But stop, sir, stop; 
look at this, look at it, major, with care and attention. 
That,” said the vicar, as he drew a small coin out of his 
waistcoat pocket with an air of imperturbable gravity and 
self-satisfaction, “is a current halfpenny, in lead, of James 
II.; and if your eyes are not hoodwinked by prejudice, you 
may probably perceive a piece of copper in its center, which, 

18 * 



210 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


we are told, was thus introduced for the purpose of rendering 
the currency lawful.” 

The dinner was announced before the conclusion of the 
discussion; and as the reader will probably agree with us in 
thinking that a question of such grave historical importance 
ought not to he decided without due care and deliberation, 
we shall afford the disputants a reasonable time for reflec¬ 
tion, and put an end to the chapter. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


211 


CHAPTER XII. 

A SHORT CHAPTER BROUGHT TO A VIOLENT AND UNTIMELY END.- 

THE DOINGS OF DR. DOSEALL, UNLIKE HIS STEAM, ADMIT OF CONDEN¬ 
SATION.-THE VICAR’S CONSTERNATION.—AN EXPLOSION.-A MORAL. 


We should have supposed, after the instructive accident re¬ 
lated in the foregoing chapter, and the excellent advice it 
had elicited from the vicar, that Tom Plank would have de¬ 
sisted from his experimental vagaries, and that the doctor, at 
all events, would never have consented to become the subject 
of them; but there are those whom experience can never 
teach, nor failure ever discourage. 

The very next morning after the catastrophe recorded in 
our preceding chapter, as the vicar was taking his early walk 
along Forest-lane, gathering primroses and wild-flowers, his 
placid and contemplative frame of mind was abruptly dis¬ 
turbed by the sudden vision of a dragon, vomiting flames of 
fire from its jaws, with a troop of dogs barking and yelling 
at its heels; as it drew nearer, the well-known person of the 
village doctor presented itself to his perplexed vision, mount¬ 
ed on its back, and shrouded in vapors, which the imagina¬ 
tion of the vicar suggested could be no other than the pesti¬ 
lential effluvia from the nostrils of the unknown and frightful 
monster: but there was little time to allow his reason to cor¬ 
rect the fallacies of his senses; in a moment—in the twink¬ 
ling of an eye—an explosion shook the air, while the ground 
beneath his feet trembled like an aspen-leaf; shot, as thick as 
hail, but in aspect far less pure, poured down in all directions, 
while a thunderbolt, whizzing past his ears, safely deposited 
itself in the adjoining bank. As soon as the fumes had passed 
away, and the vicar’s self-possession been sufficiently restored, 
the prostrate doctor was seen struggling in a mass of mud, 




212 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


like a fly in one of his own electuaries, excepting, of course, 
a conserve of roses, and who, on removing the “ Hack dose ” 
from his mouth, was audibly heard to denounce the careless¬ 
ness of his man Spindle, who, as he' believed, had either 
screwed down the safety-valve, or, like the prince in the Ara¬ 
bian tale, had ignorantly turned round the wrong peg in his 
flying locomotive. The unhappy doctor then, in a strain of 
humble lamentation, proceeded to state that the carriage, or 
“steam velocipede” had been designed by the ingenious Tom 
Plank, and that, while it was designed to carry him forward 
to visit his distant patients, it was, at the same time, so con¬ 
structed as to actuate a revolving movement for the forma¬ 
tion of his pills. It was now evident, that the shower of 
bullets which had followed the explosion, consisted of pills, 
and that the thunderbolt was no other than the rebellious 
pestle, which had taken advantage of the general confusion, 
to bolt from its lazy and sleeping partner, the mortar, with 
whom it so incessantly, but unfairly labored, for the benefit 
of Doseall and suffering humanity. 

In recounting this singular scene to the Seymour family, 
the vicar, although, as he said, he could not overlook the 
moral it afforded, declared that he was far from wishing to 
vindicate such an act of rebellion as the pestle had displayed 
upon the occasion. “ It is, however, no less true,” continued 
he, “ that in the intercourse of life, whenever parties associate 
for mutual benefit, unless the division of labor and responsi¬ 
bility be equitably adjusted, the oppressed, or weaker mem¬ 
bers, will naturally seize a favorable opportunity for escaping 
from the unjust compact.” 

“From which remarks,” said Mr. Seymour, “I presume 
you appear as counsel in the cause of the absconding pestle 
versus the inert and lazy mortar—if so, I think it will afford 
my boy Tom an excellent opportunity for applying the science 
he has lately acquired in justification of the said mortar. He 
will, I am sure, readily convince you that in the compact be¬ 
tween the mortar and pestle there does not exist the least in¬ 
equality of labor. How, Tom, have you not learnt that action 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


213 


and reaction are equal, and in opposite directions, and there¬ 
fore, that for every blow of the pestle, the mortar responds, 
and in return gives one equal in force?” 

“ Certainly,” replied Tom; “ and if, in the encounter, the 
one suffers more than the other, as when my master slapped 
my face, it must arise, as you clearly explained, from the dif¬ 
ferent feeling of the bodies brought into conflict.”* 

“ But, in the case before us, that plea cannot be sustained, 
for the parties are alike brazen and unfeeling; the mortar 
therefore does, in its quiet way, furnish just as great an 
amount of labor, and perform the same amount of work, as 
the more bustling pestle.” 

The major was much amused by this whimsical pleasantry, 
observing that philosophical principles were never more readily 
and permanently stamped upon the memory of young persons 
than by associating them with such amusing and yet apposite 
illustrations. 

“ I quite concur in that opinion, and have always endeav¬ 
ored to act upon it,” said Mr. Seymour; “ but the late catas¬ 
trophe also offers an instructive lesson, which we must not 
pass over without some remarks. It teaches us that a person 
deeply imbued with a passion for invention is like the game¬ 
ster, whom losses and misadventure only stimulate to wilder 
schemes of speculation, while it also proves that the only sure 
and safe path to the accomplishment of a scientific design is 
to make ourselves intimately acquainted with all the bearings 
and combinations of those principles upon which we depend 
for success. In the instructive case which has called forth 
these remarks, Tom Plank had overlooked the fact that water 
brought into contact with red-hot iron undergoes decomposi¬ 
tion, and, instead of steam, generates inflammable gas—his 
plan being to produce steam by the projection of a minutely 
divided stream of water upon an iron heater, as originally 
proposed by a person of the name of Payne. The reader has 
been made acquainted with the failure, and he is now in¬ 
formed as to the reason of it.” 

* See page 73, 



214 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE SOAP-BUBBLE.-THE SQUIRT.-THE BELLOWS ; AN EXPLANATION OF 

THEIR SEVERAL PARTS.-BY WHOM THE INSTRUMENT WAS INVENTED. 

-THE SUCKING AND LIFTING, OR COMMON PUMP.-AN EXPERIMENT 

ILLUSTRATIVE OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE.-THE MAGIC BOTTLE AND 

ITS WONDERS. 


“ Tom,” said his father, “ bring me a saucer with some hot 
water; a piece of soap, and a tobacco-pipe. I have promised 
to teach John the art of blowing soap-bubbles.” 

Tom immediately proceeded to execute his commission, and 
shortly rejoined the party on the lawn, bringing with him all 
the necessary implements for bubble-blowing. John, under 
the direction of his brother, made the lather; and Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, turning toward the elder children, asked them wheth¬ 
er they understood the philosophy of the operation they had 
just witnessed; they were, however, unable to return a sat¬ 
isfactory answer, and their father, therefore, proceeded as 
follows: 

“ Most liquids, by agitation, exhibit the appearance of froth 
in consequence of the escape of the air in small bubbles, which 
had been forced into them by the operation. If, however. 












MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


215 


the liquid be viscid and tenacious, like soap and water, the 
air is, as it were, Imprisoned in the mass, producing the ap¬ 
pearance which is commonly called lather” 

Louisa here inquired “ whether the air did not escape with 
more or less readiness, according to the degree of resistance 
it met with in the liquid ?” 

“ I thank you,” said Mr. Seymour, “for having so kindly 
assisted me in the explanation.” 

Louisa smiled at this mark of her father’s approbation, and 
Mr. Seymour proceeded—“ It is on that very account, that 
spirit, after it has been shaken, so soon regains its transpar¬ 
ency: for, in consequence of the superior lightness of that 
fluid, and the little cohesion which subsists between its par¬ 
ticles, the air makes a rapid escape. In like manner we may 
account for the spongy appearance which gives such supe¬ 
riority to our bread; in that case, the air disengaged during 
the fermentation of the dough cannot escape tlmough so vis¬ 
cid a mass ; it therefore remains, and thus produces the eyes 
or bubbles which you may always observe in every well- 
baked loaf.” 

“See, papa!” exclaimed Tom, “the bubbles which John 
has blown in the lather are not round, but angular figures— 
they appear to be like the hexagons which we used to cut out 
for our papyro-plastics” 

“They are certainly hexagonal,” replied Mr. Seymour; 
“ and the form arises from the pressure of the bubbles upon 
each other. The same appearance is to be seen in the pith 
of vegetables, when examined by the microscope, and is the 
result of the general reaction of the solid parts upon each 
other; but let us proceed to blow some bubbles. Plunge the 
bowl of the tobacco-pipe into the lather.” 

Tom obeyed his father’s directions, and blowing through 
the stem produced a bubble. 

“See! see!” cried Louisa, “ what a beautiful bubble! but 
there is a quantity of soap hanging to its under part.” 

“ I will take it oft with my finger,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ There it goes!” exclaimed Tom, 



216 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ What beautiful colors it displays! as bright and gaudy 
as those of the rainbow!” observed his sister. 

u It has burst!” cried Louisa. 

“Ah! my dear children,” murmured the vicar, with an 
air of pensive gravity, “ ‘Tenues secessit in auras' as the poet 
has it. Even thus it is with all the full-blown bubbles of our 
fancy, raised by the breath of hope; the moment they ap¬ 
pear most vivid and promising to our imagination, they van¬ 
ish ‘ into air, into thin air,’ like the gaudy and unsubstantial 
soap-bubble you have just witnessed: but proceed to blow 
another.” 

“There is one!” exclaimed Louisa;—“see, it is of an 
oblong shape, like an egg!—there it goes!—but I declare it is 
now perfectly round!!—what can be the reason of its chang¬ 
ing its figure ?” 

“ I am glad you have asked that question, because my an 
swer will serve to illustrate an important property of air, and 
which, indeed, is common to all fluids. While the upper part 
of the bubble was attached to the bowl of the pipe, its grav¬ 
ity, being resisted, drew it into an elliptical form; but the 
instant it was detached, the contained air pressed equally in 
all directions, and the bubble, in consequence, became a 
perfect sphere.”* 

* A scientific friend observed to the author that, as the globe possesses less 
surface than any other figure of equal capacity, it is of all forms that which is 
best calculated to allow the closest approximation of the particles of soap and 
water; and as there must exist among such particles a strong cohesive ten¬ 
dency, after having been forcibly stretched out, as it were, by the air blown 
into the bubble, it follows that, did no other cause operate, the bubble would 
assume the spherical form; in other words, that the effort of all the several 
particles of the mass to approach each other as closely as possible must result 
in the assumption of the spherical form. The same law governs the forma¬ 
tion of the drops of water as they fall from the clouds, sparkle from the fount¬ 
ain, or glisten on the dewy foliage; and to avail ourselves of a beautiful in¬ 
stance of the alliance of science with poetry, we must be allowed to quote 
the following charming lines of Eogers: 

“ That very law which moulds a tear, 

And bids it trickle from its source— 

That law preserves the earth a sphere, 

And guides the planets in their course. 1 ’ 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


217 


“I do not exactly understand what you mean by ‘ pressing 
equally in all directions.’ ” 

u The expression is surely sufficiently intelligible. Did you 
not learn in our conversation of yesterday, that air has 
weight, and exerts a pressure as much upward as downward 
„ and laterally? Were this not the case, how could the ah' 
in the interior of our bodies counteract the pressure of the 
atmosphere ? The form of the bubble proves the same fact 
in a different way; for, had the air in its cavity pressed more 
in any one direction than in another, the bubble could not 
have been round, or, to speak more correctly, a sphere?” 

“ What are you musing about ?” cried the vicar, who had 
observed the attention of the boy riveted upon the bowl of 
the tobacco-pipe; “lam sure, from your countenance, that 
some circumstance is puzzling you.” 

“You are right, my dear sir ; I was just then thinking how 
it can possibly happen that the bubble should not have a hole 
in its upper part; for, while I am blowing it up, there must, 
of course, be a communication between my mouth and its 
interior, or else how could the air pass into it ?” 

“ True,” said his father; “ but the act of throwing it off 
from the bowl of the pipe will unite this breach; for there 
exists a strong cohesive attraction between the attenuated 
particles of the lather; you will, therefore, perceive that, on 
this account, the bubble will be more readily and securely 
separated by a lateral than a perpendicular motion of the 
pipe.” 

“ I wish,” said Tom, “ that I could discover some method 
of preventing their bursting so soon, for there is scarcely time 
to examine them before they vanish. What can be the cause 
of their short duration?” 

“ Consider, my dear boy, the frailty of their structure, and 
I think that the precarious tenure of their existence will cease 
to astonish you; indeed, ,the wonder is, that they should en¬ 
dure so long. The film of which they consist is inconceivably 
thin* so that the slightest impulse will be apt to rupture it; 

* Not exceeding the two millionth part of an inch, 

19 



218 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


besides which, there must be a considerable evaporation going 
on from their surface, while the contraction of the contained 
air, from change of temperature, must also tend to limit then* 
duration. You must likewise remember that the soap-lather 
will have a tendency to gravitate towards the depending part 
of the bubble, and, consequently, by quitting the upper por¬ 
tion, to render it of still greater tenuity. This last effect might, 
perhaps, be obviated, in some measure, by giving a rotatory 
motion to the bubble around its axis; but this, again, would 
accelerate the evaporation, which, after all, is the principal 
cause of the shortness of its duration; so that, unless this 
latter effect could be remedied, I despair of suggesting any 
expedient by which the frail existence of our airy structure 
could be protracted. You must, therefore, seek from a suc¬ 
cession of bubbles, the prolongation of an amusement which 
no single one can afford you.” 

“And could not the evaporation be prevented?” asked Tom. 

“ If the bubble were blown in a glass vessel, and the latter 
immediately closed after the operation, it would remain for 
some time; I remember having once preserved a bubble in 
this manner for a very considerable period.” 

Tom, however, did not appear to relish this scheme; as, 
he said, the great sport arose from watching the movements 
of the floating bubble; the boy, accordingly, determined to 
pursue the amusement in the usual manner. His father, how¬ 
ever, observed, that by mixing a solution of isinglass with the 
soap-lather, larger, as well as more lasting bubbles might be 
blown; and Tom accordingly determined to make the experi¬ 
ment. 

During this dialogue, little John had succeeded, for the first 
time, in launching the airy bauble. Imagination always tinges 
the objects of our first efforts with brilliant tints; no wonder, 
therefore, that John, with a shout of ecstasy, should have 
pronounced it to have been the most beautiful bubble he had 
ever seen: in truth, the sun was shining brightly, and the 
colors thu3 produced very justly excited the admiration of all 
present. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


219 


“ I cannot understand the cause of these beautiful colors,” 
said Louisa. 

Mr. Seymour expressed a fear that, in their present state bf 
knowledge, they would be scarcely able to understand the 
explanation he should afford them. “ But,” said he, “ I be¬ 
lieve you know that a ray of light is divisible into seven 
colors, and that, when it passes through certain media, or is 
reflected from certain surfaces, this division is effected, and 
the various colors produced. The film of the soap-bubble is 
among the latter bodies; but I must refer you, for further 
information upon this subject, to Mrs. Marcet’s beautiful ac¬ 
count of 4 Kefraction and Colors.’ ” 

“Now, Tom,” said his father, “fetch your squirt, for we 
have not yet finished our inquiry into the effects of the air’s 
pressure.” 

The squirt was produced; but it was out of repair: for, on 
attempting to fill it with water, the instrument entirely failed 
in the performance of its office. 

“ I see the defect,” said Mr. Seymour, “ which a little string 
will easily remedy.” 

A piece of string was instantly produced from that univer¬ 
sal depot, the breeches pocket of a schoolboy. Mr. Seymour 
said he should bind a portion of it around the end of the 
piston. 

“ What do you mean by the 'piston ?” inquired Tom. 

“ The rod which moves up and down in the cylinder, or 
tube; and, unless its end fits so exactly as to prevent-the 
admission of air, it is clear that the squirt cannot draw any 
water. It was for the purpose of making this part fit tightly 
that I wanted the string, and you will now perceive that 
the instrument is ready for use:—fetch me a vessel of 
water.” 

Tom soon produced the water, and, on placing it on the 
ground, requested that he might be allowed to fill the squirt. 
This he accordingly effected without difficulty, and, on press¬ 
ing down the handle, he projected a stream of water to a con¬ 
siderable distance. 



220 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


“ I perceive,” said Tom, “ that the stream describes a curve, 
like my hall.” 

“ To be sure; it is under the joint influence of the same 
forces, viz., those of projection and gravity. But explain the 
operation of the squirt.” 

44 As soon as I raised the piston, an empty space was left 
in the lower part of the cylinder, which I suppose would have 
remained as a vacuum , had not the water rushed into it.” 

44 And why did the water rush into it ?” 

Tom hesitated. 

44 Was it not, tliink you, owing to the pressure of the atmo¬ 
sphere upon the surface of the water ? When you raised the 
piston, the air above it was also raised, and ultimately driven 
out by the force of the ascending piston; and since the air 
could not find any entrance from below as long as the point 
was under the water, the interior of the squirt would neces¬ 
sarily have remained quite empty, or have been a vacuum, 
had it not been for the weight of the atmosphere, which, not 
having any counteracting pressure, drove the water into the 
tube, and thus filled it; and which, hy pressing down the 
piston, you again expelled with considerable force.” 

44 Your explanation,” cried Louisa, 44 is so clear and intel¬ 
ligible, that I feel quite confident I could now explain any 
machine that owes its action to the exhaustion of the ah’, and 
the pressure of the atmosphere.” 

44 If that be your belief,” said Mr. Seymour, 44 1 will not lose 
a moment in putting your knowledge to the test.—Tom, do 
you run into the house, and fetch hither the kitchen bellows.” 

The bellows were produced, and Louisa, having been de¬ 
sired by her father to explain the manner in which they 
received and expelled the air, proceeded as follows: 44 Upon 
raising the upper from the under board, the interior space of 
the bellows is necessarily increased, and immediately supplied 
with an additional quantity of air, which is driven into it by 
the pressure of the atmosphere; when, by pressing down the 
upper board, it is again expelled through the iron tube or 
nosle.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


221 


u To be sure,” said Tom, “ in the same manner that the 
water was expelled from my squirt, when I pushed down the 
handle.” 

“ So far you are quite correct,” said Mr. Seymour; “hut 
you have not yet told us the use of the hole* in the under¬ 
board, and which is covered, as you perceive, with a mova¬ 
ble flap of leather: it is termed a valve, or ‘ wind-clap.'' ” 

“ That,” replied Tom, “ is for the purpose of admitting the 
air, when we raise up the board.” 

“ Exactly so; and also to prevent the air from passing out 
again, when you press it down. I wish to direct jmur atten¬ 
tion particularly to this contrivance, because, simple as it 
may appear, its action will teach you the general nature of a 
valve. Without it, the operation of filling the bellows with 
air would have been so tedious as to have destroyed the util¬ 
ity of the instrument; for the air could, in that case, have 
only found admission through the nosle, and that, again, 
would have been attended with the additional disadvantage of 
drawing smoke and other matter into its cavity; when, how¬ 
ever, you raise up the board, the air, by its external pressure, 
opens the wind-clap inward, and thus finds an easy entrance 
for itself; and when you press the board downward, the air, 
thus condensed, completely shuts the valve, and, its return 
through that avenue being prevented, it rushes out through 
the tube.” 

The children were much pleased with the simplicity of this 
invention, and Tom inquired of the vicar who first thought 
of it. 

“ We are informed by Strabo,” replied Mr. Twaddleton, 
“ that Anacharsis, the Scythian philosopher, who lived in the 
time of Solon, about six hundred years before Christ, invented 
the bellows, as well as the anchor and potter’s wheel; but,” 
he added, “ there is some reason to doubt the truth of this 
statement. The bellows, however, were certainly known to 

* A story is told of a young student, less intelligent of course than Tom Sey¬ 
mour, who, upon being asked the use of this hole, answered, “/or the recep¬ 
tion of the knee while hlowing the fire." 

19* 



222 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 




the Greeks; and the great poet Virgil alludes to them in his 
fourth Georgic :* 

1 -Alii taurinis follibus auras 

Accipiunt redduntque.’ ” 

Mr. Seymour now proposed that they should proceed to 
consider the structure and operation of the pump. 

“ I suppose,” said Louisa, “ that the pump raises water in 
the same manner as the squirt.” 

“Exactly upon the same principle,” replied her father; 
“ hut the machinery is a little more complicated, since its 
object is not to force the water out of the pump at the same 
end of the pipe at which we draw it in. We will, however, 
proceed to the stable-yard, and examine the pump ; and do 
you, Tom, provide a piece of chalk, in order that I may make 
a sketch of some of its principal parts.” 

The party immediately proceeded; and, as they walked 
along, Mr. Seymour desired the children to remember that 
the weight of the atmosphere was estimated at being equal to 
that of fifteen pounds upon every square inch of surface; and 
that the moment the water arrived at such a height as to 
balance that pressure, it could ascend no higher: he added, 
that the altitude at which such a balance took place was 
about 32 or 33 feet above the surface. 

“ If that be the case,” said Louisa, “ the pump, of course, 
can never raise water from any well of greater depth than 
that which you state.” 

“Mot without some additional contrivance, which I shall 
afterward explain to you,” replied Mr. Seymour. 

The party had, by this time, arrived at the pump ; its door 
was opened, and as much of the apparatus exhibited as could 
be conveniently exposed. Mr. Seymour then chalked the 
annexed sketch upon the stable-door. 

“ Is that a pump ?” asked Tom: “ I should certainly never 
have guessed what you intended to represent.” 

“ It is not a perspective drawing, my dear, but a represen- 


* Line 171. 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


223 


tation of the different parts as they would appear were it 
possible to cut the pump in halves, from 
top to bottom, without disturbing any of 
its arrangements. A drawing of this 
kind, which is frequently used for the 
sake of explanation, is termed a section.''' 1 

Mr.-Seymour here took an apple from 
his pocket, and, having cut it in two, ob¬ 
served that the surfaces thus exposed pre¬ 
sented sections of the fruit. This illustra¬ 
tion was understood by all present, and 
Mr. Seymour continued, “ I have here, 
then, a section of the common household 
pump, a b is the cylinder or barrel; p the air-tight piston 
which moves or works within it by means of the rod; q is 
the ‘ suction,’ or ‘feeding-pipe,’ descending into a well, or any 
other reservoir; s the valve, or little door, at the bottom of 
the barrel, covering the top of the feeding-pipe; and there is 
a similar valve in the piston, both of which, opening upward, 
admit the water to rise through them, but prevent its return¬ 
ing. As this part of the apparatus is no less ingenious than 
it is important, I will sketch the valve, or clac\ as it is termed 
by the engineer, on a larger scale.” 

Tkeir father then chalked the annexed figure; 
from which its construction was rendered per¬ 
fectly intelligible to the children. 

Mr. Seymour proceeded: “ "When the punfp is 
in a state of inaction, the two valves are closed by their own 
weight; but, on drawing up the piston p, from the bottom to 
the top of the barrel, the column of air, which rested upon it, 
is raised, and a vacuum is produced between the piston and 
the lower valves; the air beneath the valve, which is imme¬ 
diately over the surface of the water, consequently expands, 
and forces its way through it*, the water then ascends into 
the pump. A few strokes of the handle totally exclude the 
air from the body of the pump, and fill it with water; which, 
having passed through both valves, runs out at the spout.” 















224 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“I understand how water may be thus raised to the eleva¬ 
tion of 32 feet, but I have yet to learn the manner in which 
it can be raised above that distance,” said Louisa. 

u It is undoubtedly true that, if the distance from the sur¬ 
face of the water to the valve in the piston exceed 32 feet, 
water can never be forced into the barrel; but you will 
readily perceive that, when once the water has passed the 
piston-valve, it is no longer the pressure of the air which 
causes it to ascend; after that period it is raised by lifting it 
up, as you would raise it in a bucket, of which the piston 
formed the bottom ; and water, having been so raised, cannot 
fall back again, in consequence of the valve, which is kept 
closed by its pressure. All, therefore, that is necessary, is to 
keep the working barrel within the limits of atmospheric pres¬ 
sure ; we have then only to fix a continued straight pipe to 
the top of the barrel, and to lengthen the piston-rod in the 
same proportion, and the water will continue' to rise at each 
successive stroke of the pump, until at length it will flow over 
the top of the pipe, or through a spout inserted in any part of 
its side. The common pump, therefore, is properly called the 
sucking and lifting pump.” 

The party expressed themselves fully satisfied; and Tom 
inquired who invented the machine. 

“ It is an instrument of great antiquity,” replied his father: 
“ its invention is generally ascribed to Otesebes of Alexandria, 
who lived about 120 years before Christ; but the principle 
of its action was not understood for ages after its invention. 
The ancients entertained a belief that ‘Nature abhorred a 
vacuum;’ and they imagined that, when the piston ascended, 
the water immediately rushed forward to prevent the occur¬ 
rence of this much dreaded vacuum. In the seventeenth cen¬ 
tury a pump was constructed at Florence, by which it was 
attempted to raise water from a well to a very considerable 
altitude, but it was found that no exertion of this machine 
could be made to raise it above 32 feet from its level. This 
unexpected embarrassment greatly puzzled the engineer, until 
Galileo suggested that the pressure on the water below must 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


225 


cause its ascent into the pump, and that, according to this 
theory, when it had risen 32 feet, its pressure became 
equivalent to that of the atmosphere, and could not, there¬ 
fore, rise any higher; and as they did not, at that time, un¬ 
derstand the construction of the piston-valve, the design was 
abandoned.” 

“ Before we quit this subject,” added Mr. Seymour, u I wish 
to show you one or two experiments, in further elucidation 
of the effect of atmospheric pressure; but for this purpose we 
must return to the library.” 

As soon as the party had reassembled, Mr. Seymour, point¬ 
ing to the preparations on the table, said they would readily 
perceive that he required but a very simple apparatus for the 
occasion;—“ here, for instance, is a common glass tumbler 
filled with water, and I place over its mouth a piece of paper. 
I now invert it, and you see the paper does not fall off, nor 
does a single drop of water escape from the glass. I ask you, 
Tom, for an explanation.” 

“ I suppose,” answered the boy, “ that the pressure of the 
atmosphere upon the paper kept it in its place.” 

“ Undoubtedly; the external pressure of the air was greater 
than the gravitating force of the water; and I trust that, af¬ 
ter the late explanation of the pump, you will readily perceive 
that this difference in favor of the atmospheric pressure must 
continue as long as the column of water does not exceed 32 feet.” 

“I understand that perfectly; but still I do not exactly 
see why the paper cover was necessary to keep the water in 
the tumbler.” 

His father informed him that, from the ample expanse of 
its mouth, the water, without such a guard, would at once 
have gushed out, and been replaced by the ascending air; 
whereas, had the mouth of the vessel terminated in a narrow 
neck, the paper might have been easily dispensed with ; since 
in that case the small column of water would be unable to 
force a passage for itself through the contracted orifice, with¬ 
out undergoing a dispersion, and to that the cohesion of its 
particles would oppose an insuperable obstacle. 




226 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Have you never observed the difficulty of drinking out of 
a vial?” asked his father. 

“ To be sure; very often at school, but I was never before 
able to account for it.” 

“We will now proceed to another experiment. I have 
here a lamp-glass, converted for the occasion, as you may 
perceive, into a water-bottle, by means of a cork inserted into 
its lower opening. I now propose, as in my former experi¬ 
ment, to fill it with water, and to place over its mouth a piece 
of paper, and then to invert it as before—observe! not a sin¬ 
gle drop of water escapes.” 

u Why, that is nothing more than a repetition of your for¬ 
mer experiment,” exclaimed Louisa. 

u You are impatient, my dear girl; let me beg that you will 
wait, and observe what will follow.” 

“See! I now make a hole in the cork with your bodkin, 
and away pours out the water, sweeping the paper before it 
like a cataract. Can you explain this?” asked Mr. Seymour. 

“I suppose,” said Tom, “that the air, by rushing through 
the hole you made in the cork, pressed out the water by its 
weight, just as the pea was shot out of my pea-shooter.” 

“You have not answered my question with your accus¬ 
tomed consideration,” said his father. “ Let me ask you, how 
it is possible that the air thus admitted should possess any 
such power ? Have you so far forgotten first principles as 
not to know that its internal pressure will be counterbalanced 
by the atmosphere on the exterior; and that, an equilibrium 
being thus obtained, we may exclude altogether the interfer¬ 
ing influence of atmospheric pressure?” 

“ I see it all clearly now—by letting the air into the glass 
you equalized its pressure on the outside,” said Tom. 

“ And, therefore,” added his father, “ the water, being thus 
left to follow an unobstructed course, did, in obedience to tho 
universal law of gravity, flow out of the vessel. 

“With the knowledge then that you have thus acquired, 
you will readily understand many things of daily occurrence, 
which might otherwise appear unaccountable; thus, for in- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


227 


stance, the vent-peg or spigot must be raised before the beer 
will flow out of the barrel. I allude more particularly to this 
example, as it will afford the simplest explanation of a very 
curious conjuring toy I have just obtained, and which I shall 
presently exhibit before you.” 

The children, as may be readily supposed, were much de¬ 
lighted by so exciting an announcement; nor were the vicar 
and Major Snapwell less curious to learn the nature of the 
proposed exhibition. 

Mr. Seymour having rung the bell, a servant entered with 
a black pint bottle, and sundry small glasses, duly arranged 
on a waiter.— w I now propose to supply each of my guests, 
from the same magical bottle, with a glass of any wine he 
may call for,” said Mr. Seymour. 

The vicar preferred port and received it; the major requir¬ 
ed sherry, and his wish was gratified; Tom asked for some 
sweet wine, and he obtained it; and thus did Mr. Seymour 
proceed, successively filling five glasses, each with a different 
wine, from the same identical bottle. 

“Bless my heart!” exclaimed the major; “I hope Mr. 
Seymour has not formed an unholy alliance with the Prince 
of Darkness; for it must be confessed he rivals the magic of 
Mephistopheles in the wine-vaults of Leipsig* At all events, 
let us beware how we spill a drop, lest it should turn to 
flame and consume us.” 

“ Be not alarmed, my good and pious friends; as soon as 
I shall have described the ingenious construction of my bot¬ 
tle, its mysterious influence will be explained, and I shall be 
restored to your good opinion. 

u This bottle,” said Mr. Seymour, “ is made of tin-plate, so 
japanned as to resemble a common wine-bottle. In its inte¬ 
rior there are five compartments, each terminating in a small 
tube in the neck, with an orifice on the outside. These air¬ 
holes, having a connection with the cavities within, act like 
the vent-peg of the barrel, to wliich I have lately alluded. 
When, therefore, they are covered by the fingers, it is evident 

* Goethe’s Faust. 



228 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


that the liquid contents of the respective compartments can¬ 
not flow out of the bottle; hut by raising each finger success¬ 
ively, we can command, at pleasure, the flow of any one of 
the liquids, in the manner you have witnessed.” 

Major Snapwell observed that he had frequently heard of 
this conjuring trick, as being one of the most surprising and 
successful efforts of M. Robin; whose wonderful art had 
lately elicited such general approbation from the sight-seers 
of London. 

We must now conclude the philosophic amusements of this 
day. To-morrow we hope to enter upon the interesting 
subject of the Kite. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST 


229 



CHAPTER XIV. 


THE KITE.-ITS CONSTRUCTION.-THE TAIL.-AN AUTHOR^ MEDITA¬ 
TIONS AMONG THE CATACOMBS OF PATERNOSTER ROW.-WORKS IN 

THEIR WINDING-SHEETS.-HOW MR. SEYMOUR STRUNG PUNS AS HE 

STRUNG THE KITE’S TAIL.-THE VICAR’S DISMAY.-KITES CON¬ 
STRUCTED IN VARIOUS SHAPES.—ORIGIN OF THE NAME.-THE KITE 

OF CHINESE ORIGIN.-KITE-FLYING A NATIONAL PASTIME.-THE 

FIGURE USUALLY ADOPTED TO BE PREFERRED. 


The children were summoned into the library, and in¬ 
formed by their father that he was at leisure to explain the 
philosophy of the kite; a subject with which Tom had re¬ 
peatedly expressed some impatience to become acquainted. 

“ It is a beautiful day,” exclaimed the boy joyously; “ and 
there is such a delightful breeze, that I should really call it a 
complete kite-day .” 

“ Gently, my fine fellow,” replied Mr. Seymour: “ the bird 
must be fledged, ere it can fly. We have not, as yet, any 
kite; for you know that the one you possess is shattered be¬ 
yond the possibility of repair.” 

“ True, papa; but could not Robert just step into the vil¬ 
lage and buy one ? I saw several kites in the shop of Peg 
Robson yesterday.” 


20 










































230 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


u I do not doubt it, my boy; but the kites which are to be 
found in the toy-shop are made to sell, rather than to fly; 
we must, therefore, construct one for ourselves; and see! I 
have accordingly prepared all the necessary materials for the 
purpose. I have here, as you perceive, a straight lath of 
deal, about three-quarters of an inch wide, and less than a 
quarter of an inch thick, and about four feet in length; this 
is quite ready for forming the standard, or back-bone of the 
kite: and now for the bow. The cooper has complied with 
my directions, and sent an unbent hoop as free as possible 
from knots; you observe that it is about the same length as 
the lath, but it will be necessary to pare it down a little at 
each end, in order to make it bend more readily to the re¬ 
quired shape.” 

This having been accomplished, Mr. Seymour proceeded to 
form the framework of the kite in the following manner. 
He first ascertained the central point of the bow, by balan¬ 
cing it on his fore-finger; he then affixed that point, by means 
of string, to the lath, at c, about 
an inch and a half from its upper 
extremity; a notch was next cut in 
each end of the hoop or bow a d ; 
having fixed the string in the notch 
a, he drew it through another e, 
previously cut in the bottom of 
the lath, and carried it to the op¬ 
posite end of the bow d ; the skel¬ 
eton now presented the usual form 
of the kite. The next point, there¬ 
fore, was to ascertain whether the 
two sides of the bow were in equi- 
librio, which he determined by 
balancing the lath on the finger, 
and observing whether it remained 
horizontal, or dipped on either side. 

This adjustment having been accomplished, Mr. Seymour next 
continued the string from d across the skeleton to the oppo- 










MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


231 


site notch a, giving it one turn round the lath in its way; 
from a it was carried to f and wound round the top of the 
lath, and then again fastened at d ; from d it was extended 
rather more than midway down the lath, and having been 
secured at b, was finally carried to, and secured in the notch 
a. The framework was now pronounced by Mr. Seymour to 
be complete * 

The next part of the process was to cover it with paper. 
Mr. Seymour observed that the best kind which could be 
employed for this purpose was that known among stationers 
by the name of fan-paper, so called from its being manufac¬ 
tured for the use of' the fan-maker; its merits, he said, de¬ 
pended upon the size of its sheets, as well as upon the thin¬ 
ness and firmness of its texture: this, however, was not at 
hand; he was therefore obliged to rest satisfied with its best 
substitute, viz., folio sheets of large thin post. 

The party now went “ ding-dong” to work; paper, paste, 
and scissors were immediately put in requisition. Sheets of 
paper were laid smooth on the table, and so arranged that 
each sheet overlapped its neighbor about half an inch. The 
skeleton of the kite was then placed upon them, and the pa¬ 
per was cut to its figure; a margin, of about three-quarters 
of an ineh, having been left around it, except over the bow, 
where the margin was extended to an inch in width: this 
arrangement was for the purpose of allowing the paper to 
turn over the framework, when pasted to it. This part of 
the work having been completed, and a sufficient time allow¬ 
ed for the drying of the paste f Mr. Seymour proceeded to fix 
the string, usually termed the belly-band: for this purpose 
two holes were drilled through the lath, at equal distances 

* The author has been thus minute, in order to afford his young friends 
clear directions for constructing a kite, and which, as far as he knows, are not 
to be found in any work hitherto published; and he will also avail himself of 
this opportunity to state, that the thin glazed linen of various colors, com¬ 
monly known to haberdashers by the name of lining, has been found to be the 
best material as a covering for the kite. It is not only more durable than 
paper, defying the most boisterous wind, but superior to it as being secure 
from the effects of a shower of rain. 



232 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


from its edges; the upper one about a fifth part of the length 
of the kite from the top, the lower hole rather more than the 
same distance above its extremity. 

The last, and by far the most important point, was to make 
the loop in the belly-band. If the kite be accurately con¬ 
structed, its proper place may be easily found by extending 
the band, right or left, on the surface of the kite, and then 
marking the string at a point which lies in a line drawn from 
one end of the bow to the other; the loop must be made a 
little above such a point. If the kite be now suspended by 
this loop, the two ends of the bow ought to preserve a bal¬ 
ance, and the lower extremity should dip below the upper 
part of the kite. 

As Louisa observed the extreme care with which her fa¬ 
ther adjusted this part of the machine, she inquired into its 
use. 

u I was myself about to put the same question,” said her 
mother; “ for its adjustment would appear to require as 
much accuracy as that of the sash of a girl of sixteen.” 

Mr. Seymour informed them they would hereafter find that 
the steady ascent of the kite into the air entirely depended 
upon such accuracy. u Have you not seen, Tom,” asked he, 
“ a kite rise sideways, or plunge, as it is called?” 

Tom said he had often experienced that difficulty at school, 
but that he had attributed it to some defect in the tail. 

“ An error in the construction of the tail may, certainly, 
be occasionally the cause of such an accident, but it is more 
generally referable to an improper position of the loop; if 
the kite plunges , you may conclude that this loop is placed 
too high; and should it whirl round in the air, you may infer 
that it is too low.” 

During this conversation Mr. Twaddleton entered the 
apartment; Tom was anxious to show him his newly con¬ 
structed kite, and while the party were asking him numerous 
questions, Mr. Seymour observed that the vicar would be 
more profitably employed in making bobs for the string of the 
tail, than in finding answers for their string of questions. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


283 


Mrs. Seymour, and her daughters, with Tom and the vicar, 
were, accordingly, placed round the table, for the purpose of 
carrying this project into effect, by a suitable division of labor. 

It was arranged that Mrs. Seymour should cut the paper, the 
vicar fold it, and Mr. Seymour tie it on the string. 

“ How long ought the tail to be ?” asked Tom. 

u And of what shape should the papers be cut ?” inquired 
Louisa. 

u And at what distances are they to be placed from each 
other on the string ?” said Mrs. Seymour. 

“ I will answer all your queries,” replied the father, “ by 
giving you a dissertation upon this part of our machine.” 

“ We shall now have an harangue,” exclaimed the vicar, 
“as long as the tail itself; ^ut pueris placeas , et declamatio 
fiasj* as Juvenal has it—but pray proceed.” 

“ The tail should never be less than twelve, and should it 
even amount to twenty times the length of the kite, its ap¬ 
pearance in the air will be more graceful; this, however, 
must be regulated by the weight of the string, and by the 
length and thickness of the pieces of paper of which the tail 
is composed. The length of each ought to be about three 
inches and a quarter, and an inch and a half in breadth, and 
it should be folded four times longitudinally; each of these 
hobs , as they are called, must be placed at regular intervals of 
three inches.” 

“And with respect to the size of the wings?” asked the 
vicar. 

“ I should not recommend any wings ; if the kite be well 
made, there cannot be any advantage from such appendages. 
Having now answered your several questions, let us proceed 
with our work.” 

“ But where is the paper ?” asked Mrs. Seymour. 

“Apropos!” answered her husband; “the box in which 
the London toys were packed contains a quantity that will 
answer our purpose.” 

* “ That you may please the boys, and afford them a theme for declama¬ 
tion.”— Juv. x. 16T. 


20* 



234 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


The box was accordingly placed on the table. 

“Why, what a most extraordinary miscellany!” cried the 
vicar; “ the army of Mithridates could not have consisted of 
a more incongruous mixture. I perceive,” added he, as his 
inquiring eyes glanced from sheet to sheet, “we have here 
fragments of every description of literary and scientific works.” 

“ The market,” observed Mr. Seymour, “ is supplied with 
waste paper from the catacombs of Paternoster Row, which 
may be truly said to ‘ level all distinctions.’ Without intend¬ 
ing any offence by a pun, my good vicar, what a tale will 
this box unfold! I never open a magazine of this waste 
paper, without feeling a deep sympathy for the melancholy 
fate of authors: to see the strange transmigrations, and vile 
purposes, to which their works are destined, is really heart¬ 
rending. That the lights of science should be consigned to 
the tallow-chandler! the works of the moralist to the soap- 
seller ! and unbought eulogies to the butterman!—and more¬ 
over, that ‘ Laennec on the Chest' with all his Cases in the 
bargain, should be packed off to the trunk-maker ! are 
events which cannot fail to furnish food for serious contem¬ 
plation.” 

“Oh! most shameful conduct!” exclaimed the vicar; “I 
know not its parallel, except it be the heartless conversion of 
the statue of Sejanus into pans and patters, so graphically de¬ 
scribed by Juvenal. I fully participate in your indignation. 
It was only the other day—can you believe it possible?— 
that I actually received a Cheshire cheese incased in Kitch¬ 
ener’s chart of the moon, and a Report issued by the Board 
of Health in a sheet of ‘Much Ado about Nothing.’ ” 

“ But let us quit these melancholy reflections for the pres¬ 
ent, and proceed with our occupation,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ If you compose the tail of your kite with these papers,” 
observed the vicar, “ it will certainly vie with that of Scrib- 
lerus himself; you will have a knot of divinity,—a knot of 
physic,—a knot of logic,—a knot of philosophy,—a knot of 
poetry,—and a knot of history.” 

“ Never mind, ray dear vicar, if the knots bo only as bind- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


235 


ing and consistent as that which is said by Horace to unite 
the Graces— 

‘ Segnesque nodum solvere Gratia,'* 

we can surely desire nothing more; and I will undertake to 
prove their consistency, by showing in each page, with which 
you may present me, an apposite allusion to the tail of which 
it is to form a part.” 

“Apposite allusion! impossible; as well might you at¬ 
tempt to connect the scattered leaves of the Sibyl: for exam¬ 
ple, here is an Epitome of the Roman History.” 

“Very well,” said Mr. Seymour, “and pray is not that 
curtail?" 

The vicar dropped the paper in dismay; the treacherous 
design of his friend now, for the first time, flashed across his 
brain with a painful conviction, and he hastily retreated to a 
distant corner of the library, or “ turned tail," as Mr. Sey¬ 
mour jocosely expressed it, in order that he might find shel¬ 
ter from the pelting of a pitiless storm of puns, which he saw, 
too clearly, was about to burst on his devoted head. 

On the vicar’s retiring from the table, Mrs. Seymour ap¬ 
proached the fatal box, observing, “that it was now her 
turn to explore the Sibylline cave.” 

“Here,” said she, “is a list of the prices of some newly 
published works.” 

“ That,” replied her husband, as he cast a sly glance at the 
vicar, “is retail: pray proceed.” 

“ We have next, I perceive, a prospectus for publishing all 
the speeches in the late parliament.” 

“ That is detail .” 

Here a deep groan from Mr. Twaddleton arrested the pro¬ 
gress of the proceedings, and threw the whole party into a fit 
of laughter. As soon as tranquillity was restored, Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour again dipped her hand into the box, and drew forth 
the fragments of a work on ‘ The Descent of Real Property.’ 

* The Graces slow to loose the knot that binds them. 

norat. Od., III. 21. 



236 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“That,” said Mr. Seymour, “is en tail; pra j cut it off,\ 
and give it to me.” 

“We have here,” continued the lady, “the Memoirs of an 
Italian Bandit.” 

“ Then prepare him for his fate; I have a noose quite 
ready for his reception.” 

“Here is a poem, entitled Waterloo.” 

“ I will patronize it,” said her husband; “ and I warrant 
you that, under my auspices, the Muse will soar to a greater 
height than she ever could otherwise have attained.” 

“ Here comes a puzzle for your ingenuity,” said Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour; “a proposal for uniting the Boards of Customs and 
Excise.”—“Well, and what is that hut dovetail?” responded 
her husband. 

“ We have next a pamphlet ‘ On Medical Reform’—what 
say you to that?” 

“ That I have lost my wager, and been fairly beaten,” ex¬ 
claimed Mr. Seymour, “ for I defy the power of man to make 
either head or tail of it.” 

Thus did Mr. and Mrs. Seymour proceed; the one cutting 
paper, the other cutting jokes; nor did the former cease 
stringing puns, until he had finished stringing the tail. 

“ I must now conclude by making a knot that shall not be 
in danger of becoming untied in the breeze,” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour : “ but stop, stop one moment! I still require one more 
piece of paper to complete my task, and let it be double.” 

“ Here then is a piece of paper, which, from its texture, 
appears to be well adapted to your purpose. Let me see, 
what is it ? I declare it is the title-page ,of an Essay on Mat¬ 
rimony.” 

“Capital!” cried her husband; “a strange coincidence, 
truly; you have, indeed, furnished me with a knot that can¬ 
not be easily untied, however stiff may be the breeze; hand 
it over to me, for it will afford a very legitimate finish, and 
is generally the conclusion of every tale : but where is tho 
vicar? What, ho! Mr. Twaddleton.” 

“ Upon my word,” exclaimed the reverend gentleman, as 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


237 


he pushed aside the huge folio, behind which he sat ensconced, 
“ your volatility, Mr. Seymour, is wholly inconsistent with 
the gravity of a scientific guide, and a sage instructor of 
fouth.” 

“But, at present,” replied Mr. Seymour, “ I am the manu¬ 
facturer of a kite’s tail; and, surely, upon such an occasion, 
Jlightiness ought not to be urged to my disparagement.” 

The vicar, as soon as he had sufficiently recovered his self- 
possession and tranquillity, inquired of Tom whether he knew 
whence the name of the Jcite originated. 

“ From the bird of that name, I suppose,” answered the 
boy; “for being a bird of prey, he soars to a great height, 
and in that respect, at least, my paper kite may be said to 
resemble him.” 

“ That is a very good explanation,” said the vicar; “ or it 
may, perhaps, have derived its name from the circumstance 
of its having been originally constructed in the shape of a 
bird of this description. In China the flying of kites is much 
more practiced than in this country; and I understand that 
their shape is always that of some bird.” 

“ In the London toy-shops you may constantly meet with 
them in such forms, as well as in many other fantastic shapes,” 
observed Mr. Seymour; “ and,” continued he, “ I remember 
to have seen, some years ago, a kite which resembled a man. 
It was made of linen cloth, cut, and painted for the purpose, 
and stretched on a light frame, so constructed as to resemble 
the outline of the human figure. It stood upright, and was 
dressed in a sort of jacket. Its arms were disposed like han¬ 
dles on each side of its body, and its head being covered with 
a cap, terminating in an angle, favored the ascent of the ma¬ 
chine, which was twelve feet in height; but to render it 
easier to be transported, it could be folded double, by means 
of hinges adapted to the frame. The person who directed 
this kind of kite y was able to raise it, though the weather was 
calm, to the height of nearly five hundred feet; and, when 
once raised, he maintained it in the air by giving only a slight 
motion to the string. The figure, by these means, acquired 




238 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


a kind of libration, like that of a man skating on the ice. 
The illusion, occasioned by this spectacle, did not fail, as 
you may readily suppose, to attract a great number of spec¬ 
tators.” 

“ I believe, however,” observed the vicar, “ that the figure 
commonly adopted is the one best calculated for the purpose.” 

“ Undoubtedly,” replied Mr. Seymour, “ and for obvious 
reasons; the curvature of the bow enables it to escape the 
resistance of the air as it rises ; which, after having struck it, 
slides off, just as the current is more effectually turned aside 
by the gently curved prow, than by that which has a sharp 
outline; for the same reason, the mast of a ship, though it 
has a conical shape, is more easily drawn through the water 
with its broad, than with its narrow end, foremost; for al¬ 
though the primary obstruction is, no doubt, greater in the 
former case, yet the water, heaped, as it were, on the front, 
is made to stream off with a slight divergency, and therefore 
does not hang on the sides of the mast, as it would in the lat¬ 
ter case. This shape of the kite, moveover, presents the 
largest surface at the point upon which the wind can act 
with the greatest effect, while the whole is lightened by the 
removal of parts that would obstruct its action. The tail 
has also a greater control over a figure of such a description.” 

Mr. Seymour asked the vicar whether he could explain 
the origin of the French term for the kite, viz., cerf volant, or 
flying stag. “ I never can believe,” continued he, “ that the 
kite could ever have been constructed in the shape of that 
animal.” 

“ I am unable to clear up the difficulty,” replied the vicar; 
“ and yet I have taken some pains upon the subject. The 
earliest notice of the kite, which I have been able to discover, 
is in a short English and French Dictionary, by Miege, which 
was published in the year 1690, and it is there described un- 
dei the name of cerf volant” 

“ I wonder,” cried Tom, “ who invented the kite ?” 

“In that again,” answered Mr. Twaddleton, “I am unable 
to furnish you with any satisfactory information. It is, how- 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


239 


ever, supposed that we are indebted for it to the Chinese, in 
which country the pastime would seem to he of very ancient 
date, and from which it was probably introduced into Eu¬ 
rope. In the present day kite-flying is a very popular game 
among these extraordinary people, and they excel as well in 
the curious construction of their kites as in the height to 
which they make them ascend. They also, by means of 
round holes, supplied with vibrating cords, make them pro¬ 
duce a loud humming noise like that of the top. The ninth 
day of the ninth moon is a holiday especially devoted by them 
to this national pastime, on which day numbers may he seen 
repairing to the hills for the purpose.” 

Mr. Seymour inquired of the vicar whether there was any 
conjecture as to the period of the kite’s introduction into 
Europe. 

“ I know nothing more upon this point than what is stated 
by Strutt,” said the vicar; “ and as he was always very cor¬ 
rect in his antiquarian researches, I am disposed to believe 
with him that its introduction into England cannot be dated 
further back than a hundred and fifty years.” 



240 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


CHAPTER XV. 

rHE WEATHER, WITH THE HOPES AND FEARS WHICH IT ALTERNATELY 

INSPIRED.-THE ORACULAR FLOWERS.-PREPARATIONS FOR THE 

FLIGHT OF THE KITE.-A DISCOURSE ON THE THEORY OF FLYING.- 

ANATOMICAL ERRORS OF THE ARTIST IN DEPICTING THE WINGS OF 

ANGELS.-THE STRUCTURE AND ACTION OF THE WINGS OF THE BIRD. 

-A PHILOSOPHICAL DISQUISITION UPON THE FORCES BY WHICH THE 

ASCENT OF THE KITE IS ACCOMPLISHED.-THE TAIL OF THE BIRD 

COMPARED WITH THE RUDDER OF A SHIP.-THE TAIL OF TH*E KITE. 

-THE ALTITUDE TO WHICH THE KITE CAN ASCEND HAS A DEFINED 

LIMIT.-A SERIES OF KITES ON ONE STRING.-A KITE CARRIAGE.- 

THE MESSENGER.-THE PRACTICAL USES TO WHICH THE KITE HAS 

BEEN APPLIED.-THE CAUSES, DIRECTION, AND VELOCITY OF WIND 

EXPLAINED.—THE FLYING TOP. 


On the following day, before the wings of the lark had 
brushed away the morning dew, Tom and his sisters, buoyant 
with expectation, had descended into the garden, in order to 
ascertain the state of the weather and the direction of the 
wind; but the sky was sullen and calm; not a breath dis¬ 
turbed the susceptible leaves of the aspen; all was repose— 
“ a dread repose.” — 

“No kite-day this,” sighed Tom, with a countenance as 
lowering as the morning clouds. 

u Have patience,” said Louisa; “ the wind may yet rise; it 
is only just six o’clock.” 

Thus did the minds of the children continue to hover be¬ 
tween hope and despair, until after breakfast, when they de¬ 
termined to seek the gardener, and hold a grave consultation 
with that acknowledged judge of the elements; he told them 
that showers might be expected, but he thought it probable 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


241 


that the wind might rise after, mid-day. u I will, however,” 
said he, “ consult my oracles (3); after which, I shall be able 
to give you a satisfactory opinion.” So saying, he left them; 
and, on his return, observed that “as the Siberian sow-thistle 
had closed itself the preceding evening, and the African mari¬ 
gold continued shut after seven o’clock in the morning, he 
had thought there would be rain; but,” he added, “that 
upon inspecting the poor man's weatherglass , the Anagallis 
arvensis , or red pimpernel , two hours ago, he had found it 
open, from which he concluded that the day would have been 
fine.” 

“There, Louisa; it will be a fine day after all,” exclaimed 
her delighted brother. 

“ No, indeed,” continued the gardener; “ on returning just 
now to the flower, which never deceives us, I found it had 
closed itself; so that rain is inevitable.” 

Nor was this opinion erroneous; for before the brother 
and sister could reach the lodge, the heavy clouds began to 
discharge their watery burden, and the rain continued in 
one incessant shower for more than two hours; it then grad¬ 
ually abated, and the children, who had been anxiously watch¬ 
ing it at the library window, were suddenly relieved from 
their anxiety by the appearance of the vicar, whom they 
espied slowly winding his way through the dripping shrub¬ 
bery. 

“ 1 Heu! quianam tanti cinxerunt aethera nimbi?’ 

as Virgil has it,” exclaimed the vicar, as he approached the 
portico, where Mr. Seymour and his family had assembled to 
salute him. 

“We are under the influence of St. Swithin, vicar,” said 
Mrs. Seymour, “and I fear there is but slender hope of its 
becoming fair.” 

“Psha! who cares for St. Swithin? My barometer is 
rising rapidly, and I place more confidence in that classical 
deity, Mercury, than in a saint of so very questionable a 
character.” 


21 



242 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


At this moment, Phoebus, as if delighted by the compli¬ 
ment thus bestowed upon his heathen brother, cast a sly 
glance from behind a dark cloud, and illumined the spot 
upon which the vicar was standing. In short, after the lapse 
of half an hour, the sun broke through the gloom, and a brisk 
gale followed; the countenances of the children sympathized 
with the face of the heavens, and the expression of hope 
lighted them up, in proportion as the sun illumined the de¬ 
parting clouds with its radiance. 

“ It is now quite fair, papa,” cried Tom, in a voice of tri¬ 
umph, “ and there is a most delightful wind: shall we not 
proceed at once to the common ?” 

“ Presently,” answered his father; “ the ground is yet ex¬ 
tremely wet.” 

In the course of an hour this objection had been removed, 
and the party prepared to set off on their kite-flying expe¬ 
dition. 

“ Bring me the kite, and let me sling it properly over Tom’s 
shoulder,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ I will carry the string,” exclaimed Louisa ; “how nicely 
it is wound round the stick !•” 

On the arrival of the party at Overton Heath, the weather 
was found propitious to their adventure; the kite impatiently 
fluttered in the breeze, while Tom was eagerly engaged in 
unwinding its streaming tail, and preparing the paper ma¬ 
chine for ascent. 

“ Is the string fixed to the belly-band ?” asked Mr. Seymour. 

“ All is ready,” replied the vicar; “ and I will hold it up, 
while Tom runs with it against the wind. Had King Eric 
set his cap for us, we could not have had a more favorable 
breeze.” 

“ There is not the least occasion to raise the kite from the 
ground,” observed Mr. Seymour ; “ let its point rest on the 
grass, and place its tail in a straight line in front of it; I war¬ 
rant you it will rise, as soon as Tom begins to run.” 

Tom immediately set off, and the kite rose majestically into 
the air. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


243 


“ Give it string—give it string—gently, gently—now stop; 
there is no occasion for your running any further, but let out 
the cord, as long as the kite carries it off vigorously, and 
keeps it fully stretched; but wind it up the moment its ten¬ 
sion is relaxed.” 

“ It is rising very fast,” cried the breathless boy, “ but the 
string burns my hand as it passes through it; I shall not be 
able to endure the heat.” 

“ Be patient, and let it pass more slowly; put on your 
glove,” said his father. 

“Ay, ay; put on your glove,” repeated the vicar; “even 
Xenophon himself, who declaimed so warmly against the 
effeminacy of the Persians, for wearing gloves, would scarcely 
have refused his consent to their use on such an occasion.” 

“ Nor did the old Grecian warrior, Laertes, disdain the pro¬ 
tection of gloves against the thorns and thistles, while work¬ 
ing in his garden,”* added Mr. Seymour, to the no small sat¬ 
isfaction of his classical friend. 

“ What is it that produces so much heat ?” inquired Louisa. 

“ The friction of the string,” replied her father; “do you 
not know that carriages frequently catch fire from the fric¬ 
tion of their wheels, unless it be prevented by the application 
of grease?” 

“ Yes,” said Tom; “ and I have heard that the natives of 
some countries kindle their fires by rubbing pieces of wood 
together.” 

“ The original inhabitants of the new world,” observed his 
father, “throughout the whole extent from Patagonia to 
Greenland, procured fire by rubbing pieces of hard and dry 
wood against each other, until they emitted sparks, or burst 
into flame; some of the people to the north of California pro¬ 
duced the same effect by inserting a kind of pivot in the hole 
of a very thick plank, and causing it to revolve with extreme 
rapidity: the same principle will explain how immense forests 
may have been consumed; for it is evident, that the violent 
friction of the branches against each other from the agitation 

* Odyss, 



244 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


of the wind, would be fully adequate to the production of 
such an effect.” 

“ You have also an excellent example of the effect of fric¬ 
tion in producing heat,” said the vicar, “ in the history of the 
whale fishery; for, in harpooning the fish, unless the sailors 
observe the greatest caution in letting out the rope, its fric¬ 
tion upon the side of their boat will be sure to set it on fire.” 

“And how do they manage it?” asked Louisa. 

“ As soon as the whale dives (4), after having been wound¬ 
ed, it draws" out the line or cord of the harpoon, which is 
coiled up in the boat, with very considerable velocity. In 
order, therefore, to prevent any accident from the violence of 
this motion, one man is stationed with an axe to cut it asun¬ 
der, if it should become entangled; while another, with a 
mop, is constantly cooling with water the channel through 
which it passes.” 

“ The kite is now at a considerable height,” observed Tom: 
“but look at the string, how bent it is! I have repeatedly 
endeavored to pull it straight, but without success.” 

“ How could you have expected to succeed in the attempt? 
Consider the weight of such a long line of string.” 

“ Then it is not the pressure of the atmosphere which gives 
it that curved form ?” 

“ Assuredly not: have you so soon forgotten that the air 
presses equally in all directions, and would therefore tend to 
straighten, as much as to give a curved direction to the 
string ? But, as you now appear to have let out the whole 
of your string, suppose you allow the kite to enjoy its airing, 
while we proceed to consider the philosophy of its ascent, 
and the nature and direction of those forces by which it is 
effected.” 

“ The kite pulls so amazingly hard,” cried Tom, “that un¬ 
less I fix the string securely round the tree, we shall run the 
chance of losing it.” 

“ I am well aware of the force it exerts,” replied his father. 
“ Dr. Franklin has said, that, with a good kite, a man unable 
to swim might be sustained in the water, so as to pass from 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


245 


Dover to Calais; but I agree with him in thinking, that a 
packet would be a much safer as well as a pleasanter mode 
of conveyance.” 

“Now, then, for your explanation of the kite’s ascent. 
Unless I am mistaken, you will find the subject much more 
complicated than you imagine,” said the vicar. 

u Not at all; Tom, who, I trust, has a perfect acquaintance 
with the composition and resolution of forces, will very readily 
understand the explanation I propose to offer. I admit, how¬ 
ever, that there are some few points in the inquiry, which 
cannot be successfully treated without a knowledge of the 
higher branches of mathematics; but I shall, of course, avoid 
all such difficulties.* Can you tell me, Tom, what advantage 
is gained by your running with the kite?” asked Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. 

“ I suppose that you thus obtain more force from the wind.” 
“ Certainly : action .and reaction are equal. By running, 
therefore, with your kite against the wind, you strike the air, 
and thus produce a reaction, which is equal to the force of 
the blow given to it. When the wind is high, and its action 
is not intercepted by surrounding objects, there cannot exist 
any necessity for such an expedient.” 

u The principle is the same as that which enables the bird 
to rise into the air by flapping its wings,” observed the vicar. 
“ Unquestionably,” replied Mr. Seymour. 
u Does the kite, then, rise in the air from the same causes 
that enable a bird to fly ?” asked Tom. 

“ We are not at present considering the ascent of the kite, 
but the advantage which is obtained by running with it: this 
latter, as the vicar has properly observed, undoubtedly de¬ 
pends upon the same principle as that which enables the bird 
to rise, by the motion of its wings, and which constitutes the 
third law of motion,! vix., that action and reaction are equal; 

* Those readers, who are inclined to enter more deeply into the subject, 
may consult, with advantage, a memoir on the kite, by Euler, published in 
the Transactions of the Academy of Berlin for the year 1756. 
t See p. 73. 


21* 



246 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


that is to say, whenever one body exerts a force upon another, 
the second body opposes the first, with equal force, in an op¬ 
posite direction. If, then, the bird strikes the air below it 
with a force which is equal to its weight, then must there be 
a reaction of the air, upward, exactly equal to it; and the 
bird, being acted upon by two equal forces, in opposite direc¬ 
tions, will, necessarily, rest between them.” 

“ That is clear enough, but the bird rises” answered Tom. 

“ Because the force of the stroke is greater than the weight 
of the bird, and it therefore rises with the difference of these 
two forces; were the stroke less than its weight, then would 
it sink with the difference. Suppose, for example, a bird 
weighs twelve ounces, and it strikes the air with a force equal 
to sixteen, is it not clear that it must rise with a force equal 
to four ? and is it not evident that, if it strikes the air with a 
force equal only to eight , that it must sink with a force equal 
to four?” 

“ So far I understand it perfectly; but I was thinking that, 
as the wing flaps up and down, what was gained by striking 
the air downward must be counterbalanced when the bird 
raised her wing again, and thus struck the air in the contrary 
direction,” observed Tom. 

“ I give you no small degree of credit for that remark,” 
said his father; “for it is undoubtedly true that, if the flapping 
of the wings in flight were no more than the motion of the 
same surface upward and downward, the bird must lose as 
much by one motion as she could gain by the other: the 
skylark could never ascend by such an action, for, as yo. 1 have 
so justly remarked, although the stroke upon the air by the 
under side of her wing would carry her up, the stroke from 
the upper side, when she raised her wing again, would bring 
her down; but if you will attentively examine the structure 
of the wing, you will at once perceive, from its external con¬ 
vexity, the disposition, and more particularly the overlapping 
of its larger feathers, that when the wing is drawn up, its 
surface is contracted, and when let down fully expanded— 
or, in other words, that the feathers strike the air downward 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


247 


with their flat side, but rise from the stroke slantwise,.just 
as the rower in a boat, after having given the stroke, turns 
his oar so as only to present its edge, an operation which is 
termed feathering , from its resemblance to this very action 
of the wing in flight.” 

“ It appears to me that flying is an easy process,” said Tom; 
“ could we not contrive some sort of flapper, by which we 
might be able to rise into the air.” 

“Your opinion, my dear boy, is by no means singular; 
hundreds have entertained the same belief before you; and 
so confident was the famous Bishop Wilkins, that he declared 
it to be his conviction, that, in future ages, it will be as usual 
to hear a man call for his wings, as it is now to call for his 
boots.” 

“Yes,” said the vicar; “and if my memory is correct, 
William of Malmesbury, in his account of the Conquest of 
England by the Normans, mentions a Benedictine monk, by 
the name of Elmer, who having affixed wings to his hands 
and feet, ascended a lofty tower whence he took his flight, but 
he fell to the ground and broke both his legs.”—“ Pennis non 
homini datis .”* 

“ I do not see the difficulty,” exclaimed Tom. 

“ The weight of our bodies is so great that we have not 
sufficient muscular strength to impart a blow to the air that 
shall be equal to it. Now are you satisfied?” said his father. 

“ I am perfectly satisfied, if that be the case, that we can 
never hope to fly.” 

“ The principle, however, which I have just explained,” 
observed Mr. Seymour, “ although it will fail us in our at¬ 
tempts to construct wings, is nevertheless extensively appli- 

* “Artists,” observes M. Oersted, “err greatly in attaching wings to human 
figures, of such a size, and so placed as to lead the imagination to accept them 
as real, instead of emblematic organs of flight. We are taught by comparative 
anatomy that in all vertebrate animals wings are only formed by a peculiar 
development of the instruments of motion belonging to the fore parts of the 
body; the representation of the human figure with wings and arms is there¬ 
fore a monstrous absurdity; and the supernatural idea, by such an attempt to 
make it appear natural, is rendered unnatural.”— The Soul in Naturt. 

18 



248 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


cable in mechanics. A vane or fly, for instance, by resisting 
the air as it spins round, becomes the regulator of machinery. 
The intervals between the strokes on the bell of a clock are 
thus regulated, and the fly, on this occasion, is so contrived 
that this interval may be altered, or the clock made to strike 
faster or slower, by presenting the arms of it more or less 
obliquely to the direction in which they move. The same 
kind of fly is the regulator used in musical boxes, as I will 
presently show you, and indeed in ahnost all mechanical toys; 
and, moreover, a fly of this kind, provided its arms be set at 
a proper angle, and a rapid spinning motion be given to it, 
will actually take flight, and rise to a very considerable ele¬ 
vation, and thus realize the idea of a flying machine. I have 
such an apparatus, and intend to call it The Flying Top. 
On our return you shall see it—but at present we have to 
proceed with the subject of the kite; for, as yet, we have 
merely considered the effect of increasing the wind upon its 
surface: we have next to inquire how the wind operates in 
raising it into the ah’.—Do you not remember, when I ad¬ 
justed the noose in the belly-band, I stated that much de¬ 
pended upon this part of the apparatus ? You will at once 
perceive that it will influence the angle which the kite forma 
with the earth; and I am about to prove to you that the 
theory of the kite’s ascent is materially connected with the 
value of this angle; but, in order to render my explanation 
intelligible, I have prepared a diagram, to which I am desir¬ 
ous of directing your attention. 



“ The kite here appears in the act of rising from the ground; 
the line w will represent the direction of the wind blowing 




MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


249 


upon it, all the currents of which we will suppose united in 
one; it is evident, from what has been already stated, that 
as it falls upon an oblique surface, it will be resolved into 
two forces, viz., into one parallel with it, and into another 
perpendicular to that surface; of which the force represented 
by the line y will alone produce any effect, carrying the kite 
along the line o a, or in a direction parallel to itself; and 
you must have observed that this was the direction in which 
the kite was impelled, when you suffered it to rise, without 
checking its progress by the string.” 

“I remember that well,” said Tom; u and I also observed 
that, when I pulled my string, the kite immediately rose more 
perpendicularly.” 

“ To be sure it did; because by that operation, you called a 
new force into action; which I have represented in the diagram 
by the line s t. The kite was therefore under the influence of 
the two forces o a and s t, and, since these are in the direc¬ 
tion of the two sides of a parallelogram, it would not obey 
either, but ascend through o b, its diagonal.” 

11 Notwithstanding Mr. Twaddleton’s doubts upon the sub¬ 
ject,” said Tom, “I am sure that I perfectly understand your 
explanation; and I think I may also answer for my sister: 
but you have not yet told us any thing about the tail; I sup¬ 
pose, however, that it acts like the rudder of a ship, or the 
tail of a bird.” 

u Before I answer that question, let me inform you how 
the tail of a bird differs, in its action and uses, from the rud¬ 
der of a ship. In the first place, the rudder is so fixed that 
it can but move in one horizontal plane, and can therefore 
only turn the vessel to the right or left, which, indeed, is all 
that is required (5); but the tail of the bird, in addition” to 
this motion, can be placed in a diagonal direction, and when 
expanded will offer a considerable surface to the air, so as to 
fulfill some of the offices of a third wing. Have you never 
watched the maneuvers of the rook, as he gambols through 
the air ? After flying in the ordinary way, you will observe 
his wings at rest, and that he glides along apparently without 




250 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


the least exertion in his descent. In this case his expanded 
wings act as a parachute; then, again, you will observe him 
wheeling round, a maneuver which is partly produced by the 
oblique position of his tail, and which is readily explained 
upon the principle of the resolution of forces I have just de¬ 
scribed with reference to the action of the wind upon the 
surface of the kite (6). I ought also to state, that the tail 
serves to poise the body of the bird.” 

“Does the bird, then, never use its wings for the purpose 
of directing its course?” asked Louisa. 

“ Undoubtedly it does,” answered her father; “ the tail is 
only to be considered as a supplementary organ: it is by 
means of the wings that it generally directs its course, for it 
is evident that it can easily turn, either to the right or left, 
by flapping the opposite wing with increased force, just as a ’ 
boat is turned about to the right, by a brisk application of 
the left oar. In like manner the irregular flight of the butter¬ 
fly, now up and now down, now to the right and now to the 
left, is no doubt effected by the wings striking the air one 
after the other, or perhaps with an alternate and unequal 
force. The object of such an action is obviously to baffle the 
pursuit of birds which fly in a right line, whereas you see the 
butterfly does just the contrary.” (7.) 

“ How very wonderful,” said Louisa, “ is the action of the 
wings of insects I I have often watched them during their 
flight, and their rapidity is such as to surpass the power of 
vision.” 

“ I shall have occasion to advert to that subject hereafter,” 
said Mr. Seymour; “ at present I shall only observe that a 
gnat’s wing, in its ordinary flight, beats many hundred times 
in a second.” 

“ But you have not yet answered Tom’s question,” said the 
vicar. “ Of what use is the tail of the kite ? Does it assist 
its ascent, or is it merely an appendage of ornament ?” 

“ In the first place, it keeps the head of the kite to the 
wind, and prevents its lower half from going too far to lee¬ 
ward ; and in the next, it lowers its center of gravity, and 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


251 


throws it towards its extremity, which not only prevents the 
chance of the machine being upset in the air, hut it so poises 
and regulates the position of the kite as to maintain the angle 
which it is necessary for the string to make with the surface.” 

Mi*. Twaddleton here inquired what might be the most 
advantageous angle for the kite to form with the horizon, in or¬ 
der that the paper machine should rise to the greatest altitude. 

w If the wind be horizontal,” answered Mr. Seymour, “ it 
is evident that the inclination of the kite’s surface ought 
to be the same as that which the rudder of a ship should 
make with the keel, in order that the vessel may be turned 
with the greatest facility; supposing the currents of water, 
which impel it, to have a direction parallel to the keel.” 

“And what ought that angle to be?” inquired the vicar. 

“ Fifty-four degrees and forty-four minutes,” replied Mr. 
Seymour; “ and let me here remark,” continued he, “ as we 
have already considered the philosophy of the flight of a bird, 
that its pinions are so set upon the body as to bring down the 
wings in an oblique direction towards the tail; so that in 
then* action upon the air we have the same resolution of 
forces as in that of the wind upon the surface of the kite, by 
which the body of the bird is not only supported, or raised 
perpendicularly, but carried forward.” (8.) 

Tom here interrupted the dialogue, by expressing a regret 
that he should have been provided with so small a quantity 
of cord. 

“ I do not believe, my dear boy, that any advantage could 
be gained by an additional quantity of string,” said his father. 

“ Is there, then, any reason why the kite should not ascend, 
even above the clouds, provided that my string were suffi¬ 
ciently long and strong ?” 

“ Yes; indeed there is a most unanswerable reason. Re¬ 
member that the kite is made to rise by the operation of two 
forces; the one afforded by the wind, the other by the action 
of the string; now, it is quite evident that, when the weight 
of the string, added to that of the kite itself, becomes equal 
to the force of the wind, acting upon the surface of the ma- 




252 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


chine, a general balance, or equilibrium of forces will be 
established, and the kite can no longer continue to ascend.” 

“ Will it, then, remain stationary under these circumstan¬ 
ces?” asked Louisa. 

w It must do so, unless the force of the wind should abate; 
for it is a proposition in mechanics, which I shall hereafter 
endeavor to demonstrate (9), that, if a body be acted upon 
by three forces, which are proportional to, and in the direc¬ 
tion of the three sides of a triangle, it will be kept at rest. 
The kite is exactly in this predicament, for its weight, the 
force of the wind, and the action of the string fulfill these 
conditions, and consequently keep the kite stationary.” 

“ Then I must give up my intention of trying to raise the 
kite above the clouds,” said Tom. 

“ Although you may not be able to raise any single kite to 
the altitude you may desire, it is easy to accomplish your plan 
by a series of kites; the string of the first being attached to 
the back of the second, and so on.” 

“How, papa? I do not exactly understand you.” 

“ Your kite,” said Mr. Seymour, “ is now as high in the 
ah’ as the force of the wind is capable of raising it; suppose 
you were to fix the end of the string you hold in your hand 
to the back of another kite, would not this second kite ascend 
as high as your first, by the same force, and your first kite 
therefore rise to double the altitude it is at present ? In like 
manner you might attach a third kite, and so on.” 

“ How I comprehend it; and I should much like to try the 
experiment,” said Tom. 

“You shall certainly witness the effect I have described; 
but you must provide yourself with some stout string, for the 
force which the kites exert when thus arranged, is greater 
than you can easily imagine; indeed I question whether you 
would be able to hold them,” observed his father. 

Mr. Twaddleton here informed the’ young party that he 
had himself witnessed a carriage containing three persons that 
had been drawn along the road by kites, at the rate of from 
fifteen to twenty miles an hour. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


253 


u I have seen the account of it,” said Mr. Seymour, “ and 
if I remember right, the principal kite was preceded at the 
distance of about 120 feet by a smaller pilot one, which served 
to direct it away from any obstacles, such as trees, houses, 
&c., with which it might otherwise have come in contact.” 

“ But how was the pilot-kite made obedient to the will of 
the driver ?” asked Louisa. 

“ By means of strings so attached to it that its surface was 
easily made to alter its angular position,” answered Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. 

“ If my twine should snap,” said Tom, whose attention was 
suddenly drawn to his kite from a slight unsteadiness in its 
motion, arising from a gust of wind, “ we could easily recover 
it, that is one good thing; for it is hovering over the open 
field at the end of the heath.” 

“ If you imagine that the kite, under such circumstances, 
would fall upon the spot directly under it, you are much de¬ 
ceived: recollect that, if the string should snap, the kite 
would be abandoned to two forces, those of the wind and its 
own gravity; and you will perceive that, under such circum¬ 
stances, it could not obey either of them, but would fall in an 
intermediate or diagonal direction. This fact will be ren¬ 
dered apparent by the annexed diagram, b a may be sup¬ 
posed to represent the force and direction of the wind acting 
upon the kite, and b d that of 
its gravity; then it is evident 
that, under the influence of these 
joint forces, it would describe 
the diagonal, and for reasons al¬ 
ready explained, that line must 
necessarily be the curve b f.” 

“ Come,” said the vicar, “ be¬ 
fore Tom draws down his kite, 
let us send up a messenger 

“ What may that be ?” asked 
Louisa. 

“ A piece of paper or pasteboard, which, on being intro- 
22 






254 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


duced upon the string, is blown along the line up to the 
kite.” 

The messenger was accordingly prepared, and, being placed 
upon the string, it ascended as Mr. Seymour had anticipated. 
While this operation was in progress, the vicar stood ear¬ 
nestly gazing upon the kite, and, at length, burst forth in the 
following animated soliloquy: 

41 Assuredly this must be acknowledged as a most beauti¬ 
ful and imposing toy! Fastidious or insensible must be that 
person, who does not feel exhilarated as he gazes on the kite, 
proudly floating under the canopy of heaven, and reflecting 
the departing smiles of the evening sun, after it had ceased to 
cheer us below.” 

“ It has been said,” observed Mr. Seymour, 44 to the dis¬ 
paragement of kite-flying, that as soon as the machine has 
been raised into the air, and all the string let out, the excite¬ 
ment of the sport is at an end, and that, as nothing further 
can be achieved, the interest of the performer from that mo¬ 
ment begins to languish; now, at this period, the messenger 
will open a new source of pleasure and instruction, and may, 
by a little ingenuity, be made to afford a great diversity of 
amusement. I have therefore provided myself with several 
varieties of this machine. Here is one in the form of a 
dragon, which, as it ascends, produces a very striking and 
almost magical effect. See, there it goes!” 

The children were delighted, for the string upon which it 
was carried became at a certain height invisible; so that the 
figure appeared like a monster hovering in the air. 

44 1 will now show you a winged variety of this apparatus, 
which we will name the Brompton Messenger .* It consists 
of a hollow cylinder of thin wood, the diameter of which is 
sufficiently large to allow its free revolution round the string 
of the kite. To this cylinder are attached several flappers, 
or sails, in an oblique direction, like those of the 4 Flying Top ’ 

* From associations of an interesting nature connected with the residence 
of the author’s children with kind and beloved friends for many a successive 
autumn. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


255 


(p. 259), each of which is covered with paper of a different 
color. The action of the wind npon those oblique surfaces 
necessarily occasions a rapid rotation, upon a principle which 
I shall presently explain ; and the beautiful effect thus pro¬ 
duced, as the whirling body ascends, must be seen before it 
can be appreciated. I have some other contrivances of a 
similar nature, which it is my intention to prepare for your 
future amusement.” (10.) 

“ Has the kite ever been applied to any useful purpose?” 
asked Tom. 

“ Certainly,” answered his father. “ It was by means of 
the kite that Dr. Franklin was enabled to demonstrate the 
identity of electricity and the cause of lightning, and thus to 
disclose one of the most awful mysteries of nature.” 

“ Pray do tell us something about this electrical kite, papa,” 
said Louisa. 

“Hot at present, my love; it would divert us too much 
from the subjects in which we are engaged; at some future 
period I shall have much pleasure in introducing you into 
these fairy regions of philosophy.” 

“ I just now remember reading in Miss Edgeworth’s 1 Harry 
and Lucy,’ ” said Louisa, “ something about a kite and Pom- 
pey’s pillar.” 

“ I am glad that you have reminded me of that story,” 
replied Mr. Seymour; “ I will relate it to you. Some Eng¬ 
lish sailors laid a wager that they would drink a bowl of 
punch on the summit of Pompey’s pillar. How, that pillar is 
almost a hundred feet high, and it is quite smooth, so that 
there was no way of climbing to the top, even for sailors, who 
are such experienced climbers: so they flew their kite ex¬ 
actly over the pillar, and when it came down on the opposite 
side, the string lay across the top of the capital. By means 
of this string, they pulled a small rope over, and by this a 
larger one, that was able to bear the weight of a man; a pul¬ 
ley was then fastened to the end of the large rope, and drawn 
close up to the upper edge of the capital; and then, you per¬ 
ceive, they could easily hoist each other up. They did more, 



256 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


for they hoisted the English flag on the top, and then drank 
the bowl of punch and won their wager.” 

“ That is a very good story,” said the vicar, “but I cannot 
help regretting that so much ingenuity and labor should not 
have had a nobler end to accomplish.” 

“ There is some truth in that observation,” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, “ and I will, therefore, relate another story which shall 
be more congenial to your heart, and in which the kite will 
present itself in a more interesting point of view, for, instead 
of enabling the sailors to drink a bowl of punch at any alti¬ 
tude otherwise inaccessible, we shall find it engaged in res¬ 
cuing them from the horrors of shipwreck.”* 

“ Pray proceed, papa.” 

“No, my dear, upon reflection, I think it will be better that 
we should postpone the story, until you return to the lodge, 
when you shall read it in 4 Harry and Lucy.’ But before we 
lose sight of the useful applications of the kite, let me tell you 
how greatly it served the Arctic voyagers in their late search 
after Eranklin and his companions. By harnessing it to their 
sledges they were enabled to travel hundreds of miles over the 
ice before a stiff breeze. I will also point out to you, in the 
same work, an account of a new and useful application of the 
messenger, which will prove that the faculties of youth may 
be increased and improved by those very amusements which 
are too generally regarded as idle and unprofitable: I shall at 
the same time exhibit one or two experiments in illustration 
of the nature and causes of wind.” 

“ Shall we not return immediately ?” 

“ No, my dear; it would not be in my power to attend 
you at present; but join me in the library after dinner: Mr. 
Twaddleton will now accompany me to the village, and do 
you remain and enjoy the amusement of your kite.” 

At the time appointed Tom and his sisters requested 
their father to fulfill the promises he had made them in the 
morning. 

* Transactions of the Society for the encouragement of Arts, vol. xli.; and 
Miss Edgeworth’s Harry and Lucy, yol. iv. p. 288. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


257 


“ Yon told us,” said Louisa, “ that you would give us some 
information about the wind; the subject has been puzzling 
me ever since, for I cannot make out the cause of it.” 

“ Wind, my love, is nothing more than air in motion; and 
is produced by a large volume of it flowing in a current or 
stream, from one place or region to another, and with differ¬ 
ent velocities.” 

“ And what can produce these currents?” asked Tom. 

u After the explanation of the action of the pump, I do not 
think that I shall have much difficulty in making you under¬ 
stand the nature of the operations by which wind is occa¬ 
sioned. Suppose a partial vacuum should be formed in any 
region, would not the neighboring air immediately rush in to 
supply the deficiency and restore the balance ?” 

“ Undoubtedly; from the pressure of the air behind it.” 

“ Heat,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ will produce a partial 
vacuum by rarefying the air, and thus rendering it lighter; 
in consequence of which it will ascend, and the colder air 
will rush in to supply its place.” 

“ I do not exactly see why the rarefied air should ascend,” 
observed Louisa: “ it appears to offer an exception to the 
general law of gravity.” 

“ Mot at all; on the contrary its ascent is occasioned by 
the force of gravity: in the first place, however, to prove 
the fact that heated air does actually ascend, we have only 
to observe the direction of smoke as it issues from the chim¬ 
ney : this consists of minute particles of fuel carried up, by 
a current of heated air, from the fire below; and as soon as 
this current is cooled by mixing with that of the atmosphere, 
the minute particles of coal fall, and produce the small black 
flakes which render the air, and every thing in contact with 
it, so dirty in a populous city.” 

u But I want to know, papa, what it is which causes the 
hot air to ascend ?” 

u The greater weight of the cold air above it, which gets, 
as it were, beneath the lighter air, and obliges it to rise; just 
in the same way as a piece of cork, at the bottom of an 
22 * 



258 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


empty vessel, is made to rise to the surface of the water which 
may be poured into it.” 

“ Now I understand it; pray, therefore, proceed with your 
account of the wind. You have just said that heat rarefies 
the air, and causes it to ascend.” 

“ And thus produces a current of air, or a windy 

“ Is heat, then, the cause of wind, papa?” asked Tom. 

“ It is one great cause; hut there are, probably, several 
others; I will, however, exemplify this subject by an experi¬ 
ment.” 

So saying, Mr. Seymour produced a water-plate, a large 
dish, and a jug filled with cold water. The bell was rung, 
and the servant entered with a tea-kettle of boiling water. 
The large dish was then filled with the cold, and the water- 
plate with the boiling fluid. 

“ Let this large dish represent the ocean,” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, “• and this water-plate, which I will now place in its 
center, an island in that ocean; for the land, from receiving 
the rays of the sun, will be more heated than the water, and 
will consequently rarefy the air above it.—Now, Tom, light 
me the wax-taper.” 

“Ihave done so.” 

“ Then blow it out.” 

“ I cannot imagine what you are about, papa;—‘ Light the 
candle and then blow it out!’—but it still smokes; shall I 
put the extinguisher over it ?” 

“ By no means ; give it to me and observe what will hap¬ 
pen when I carry it round the edge of the dish.” 

“ Why, only see!” cried Tom; “ Louisa has actually blown 
it in again.—How could that happen ?” 

“ Do not interrupt our experiment just now, and I will 
explain it afterward. (11.) Now blow it out once more,” 
said Mr. Seymour. 

“ I have done so, and the smoke goes to the center,” ex¬ 
claimed Tom. 

“ Showing, thereby, the existence of a current toward the 
water-plate, or island; in consequence of the air above it 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


259 


having been heated, and therefore rarefied. This explains, in 
a very satisfactory manner, a fact which may he constantly 
observed in onr own climate, viz., a gentle breeze blowing 
from the sea to the land in the heat of the day. Upon the 
same principle it is, that most of the winds in different parts 
of the globe may be readily accounted for.” 

44 1 suppose,” said Tom, 44 that the air must rush with great 
velocity, in order to produce wind.” 

44 A very general error prevails upon this subject; the 
rate of motion has been greatly exaggerated. In a brisk 
gale, even, the wind does not travel with such velocity but 
that it may be easily traced by the eye; and the sailor is 
able to watch its progress by the ripple which it'produces on 
the sea.” 

44 Has, then, the rate of its motion ever been estimated ?” 
asked Louisa. 

44 When its velocity is about two miles per hour, it is only 
just perceptible. In a high wind, the air travels thirty or 
forty miles in the same period. In a storm, its rate has been 
computed as being from sixty to eighty miles. It has also 
been ascertained by experiment that the air, as it rushes from 
a pair of blacksmith’s bellows, has not a velocity above that 
of five-and-forty miles in the hour.” 

44 At what rate should you think 
the air traveled this morning, when 
we flew our kite ?” inquired Louisa. 

“I should think at about five 
miles an hour, for it was a pleasant 
but gentle breeze.” 

Mr. Seymour now, at the earnest 
request of the whole party, who 
had been on the tiptoe of expecta¬ 
tion, produced his 44 flying-top,” of 
which the reader is here presented 
with a representation. 

44 This little machine consists, as you may observe, of a 
flyer, with three vanes, the form of each being that of the seg- 






260 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


ment of a circle, the obliquity of whose surface increases as 
it recedes from the center of motion; this flyer, as you see, 
is attached to a spindle, around which the string that is to 
set it in motion is carefully wound, and the whole is adapted 
to a stand. Let us now join the vicar on the lawn, where we 
can conveniently put it into action.” 

The stump of a tree afforded a rest for the stand, which 
Mr. Seymour held firmly in an inclined position with his left 
hand, while with his right he vigorously pulled the string. 
Away whirled the flyer, and in a second it rose majestically 
from the stand, and, whizzing through the air, attained a very 
considerable altitude, no less to the astonishment than to the 
delight of the party. After several repetitions of the experi¬ 
ment, Mr. Seymour thus proceeded to explain the philosophy 
of its flight. 

“ After the explanation you have already received regard¬ 
ing the flight of a bird, you will very readily understand the 
question before us. It is evident that the oblique vanes, by 
striking the air during their rapid rotation, must produce a 
reaction on their under surfaces.” 

“ Exactly so,” cried Tom; “ and if that reaction be greater 
than is sufficient to counteract its gravity, the flyer must 
ascend in the air, just as the bird does, in proportion to that 
excess.” 

“You are quite right,” continued his father, “and I need 
hardly remind you of the importance of attending to the an¬ 
gular adjustment of the vanes to insure the greatest effect; it 
should be such as to make all the forces conspire, and you 
will recollect that the efficient force will be in a direction per¬ 
pendicular to each inclined vane.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST 


261 



CHAPTER XVI. 


A SHORT DISCOURSE.-THE SHUTTLECOCK.—ITS CONSTRUCTION.—THE 

SOLUTION OF TWO PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH ITS FLIGHT.-THE 

WINDMILL.-THE SMOKEJACK.-A TOY CONSTRUCTED ON THE SAME 

PRINCIPLE.-THE BOW AND ARROW.-ARCHERY.-THE ARRIVAL OF 

ISABELLA VILLERS. 


Mr. Twaddleton, oh his arrival at the Lodge on the fol¬ 
lowing morning, was informed that Miss Villers was expected 
at Overton in the evening. 

u Your account of that young lady,” observed the vicar, 
“ has greatly prepossessed me in her favor ; I only hope that 
she is not too blue.” 

“ I care not how blue the stockings of a lady may be,” 
said Mr. Seymour, u ‘ provided her petticoats be long enough 
to hide them and from my knowledge of Miss Villers, I can 
assure you, exalted as are her attainments, they are so veiled 
by feminine delicacy and reserve, that they may insidiously 
win, but will never extort our homage.” 





































262 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOBT 


“Ay, ay,” exclaimed the vicar; “I perfectly agree with 
you in your idea of feminine perfection—short tongues and 
long petticoats, Mr. Seymour. But where are my little play¬ 
mates?” 

“ I left Tom and Fanny on the terrace, a short time since, 
very busily engaged in the game of shuttlecock and battle- 
door.”* 

“ The shuttlecock is an ancient sport,” observed Mr. Twad- 
dleton. “ It is represented in a manuscript as far back as the 
fourteenth century: and it became a fashionable game among 
grown persons in the reign of James tne First. In China the 
shuttlecock is made of feathers and lead, and is played by be¬ 
ing struck up by the soles of the feet. A toy of this kind 
may be seen in the Ethnological room in the British Mu¬ 
seum.” 

“It is a very healthy pastime,” said Mr. Seymour, “and, 
in my opinion, is admirably calculated for females ; for it ex¬ 
pands the chest, while it creates a graceful pliancy of the 
limbs.” 

“ I entirely agree with you; it is the only game with which 
I am acquainted, in which muscular exercise is gained with¬ 
out compromising gracefulness. But see, here come the 
two young rogues.” 

“ Papa,” exclaimed Tom, “ I have been considering whether 
there is any philosophy in the game of shuttlecock.” 

“ There are two circumstances connected with its flight, 
which certainly will admit of explanation upon scientific prin¬ 
ciples ; and I should much like to hear whether you can ap¬ 
ply them for that purpose. The first is its spinning motion 
in the air; the second, the regularity with which its base of 
cork always presents itself to the battledoor; so that, after 
you have struck it, it turns round, and arrives at your sis- 

* Shuttlecock, more correctly, perhaps, Shuttlecorfc, although Skinner 
thinks it is called cock from its feathers. Battledoor, so called from Door, 
taken for a flat board; and battle for striking, i. e., a striking-board. Thom¬ 
son thinks that the true derivation is from the Spanish Batidor, a beater or 
striker, and that the game was introduced from the Poninsula. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


263 


ter’s battledoor in a position to be again struck by her, and 
sent back to you.” 

“ I perfectly understand what you mean; but I really am not 
able to explain the motions to which you allude,” said Tom. 

“ The revolution of the shuttlecock, about its axis, entirely 
depends upon the impulse of the wind on the oblique surfaces 
of its feathers; so that it is often necessary to trim the 
feathers of a new shuttlecock, before it will spin.” 

“ I understand you, papa; the force of the wind, by strik¬ 
ing the oblique feathers, is resolved into a perpendicular and 
parallel force, as you explained to us when we considered the 
action of the wind upon the kite.” 

“ Exactly; every oblique direction of a motion is the diag¬ 
onal of a parallelogram, whose perpendicular and parallel 
directions are the two sides. Having settled this point, let 
us consider the second, viz., how it happens that the cork of 
the shuttlecock always presents itself to the battledoor.” 

“ I should think,” said Tom, “ that the cork points to the 
battledoor for the same reason that the weathercock always 
points to the wind.” 

“ Admirably illustrated!” exclaimed his father; “ the cork 
will always go foremost, because the air must exert a greater 
force over the lighter feathers, and therefore retard their pro¬ 
gress ; but I must also direct your attention to the shape of 
the cork, which you may perceive to be conical , giving to the 
shuttlecock a readier passage through the air. How this fact 
has an especial interest at the present time, from recent experi¬ 
ments showing the superior advantage of conical bullets in 
rifles; but we will talk to the major about it. While we are 
upon this subject, I will introduce to your notice some con¬ 
trivances which are indebted to this same principle for their 
operation. In the first place, there is the arrow; can you 
tell me, Louisa, the use of the feathers which are placed round 
its extremity ?” 

“ To make its head proceed foremost in the air, by render¬ 
ing its other end lighter, and therefore more sensible to the 
resistance of the air.” 



264 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Very well answered: that is, unquestionably, one of the 
objects of the wings of an arrow; but there is also another, 
that of rifling it, or steadying its progressive motion, by 
causing it to revolve around its axis. If you will look at this 
arrow, you will perceive that the feathers are placed nearly, 
but not quite, in planes passing through it: if the feathers 
were exactly in this plane, the air could not' strike against 
their surfaces when the arrow is in motion : but since they 
are not perfectly straight, but always a little aslant, the air 
necessarily strikes them as the arrow moves forward; by 
which force the feathers are turned round, and with them the 
arrow or reed; so that a motion is generated about its axis; 
and its velocity will increase with the obliquity of the feathers. 
You will therefore observe that, in order to enable the feathers 
to offer a necessary resistance to the air, they must possess a 
certain degree of stiffness or inflexibility. It was on this ac¬ 
count that Roger Ascham,* and other skillful artists in the 
days of archery, preferred the feathers of a goose of two or 
three years old, especially such as drop of themselves, for 
pluming the arrow; and the importance, as well as the theory 
of this choice, is confirmed by a curious observation of Ger- 
vase Markham,f who says that ‘the peacock feather was 
sometimes used at the short butt; yet seldom or ever, did it 
Tceep the shaft either right or level ! 7 ” 

“ That is intelligible enough,” said Tom ; “ the feather of 
the peacock must have been so flexible as to have yielded to 
the slightest breath of air; and now, as we are upon the sub¬ 
ject of the arrow, do explain to us the action of the bow.” 

“ I shall readily comply with your request before we part; 
but I am desirous, at present, of following up the subject be¬ 
fore us, and of taking into consideration some other instru¬ 
ments which owe their motions to the action of the air upon 
oblique surfaces.” 

“ Suppose,” said the vicar, “you explain to them the action 
of the wind upon the sails of the mill.” 


♦ Toxoph. ed. 1571, folio 166. 


t Markham’s Art of Archerie, 1684. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


265 


“ I should like to hear something about the ■windmill,” ob¬ 
served Tom: “ and perhaps Mr. Twaddleton can tell us who 
invented the machine.” 

“ The invention is not of very remote date. According to 
some authors, windmills were first used in France in the sixth 
century; while others maintain that they were brought to 
Europe in the time of the crusades, and that they had long 
been employed in the East, where the scarcity of water pre¬ 
cluded the application of that powerful agent to machinery.” 

“I had intended,” said Mr. Seymour, “to have entered 
very fully upon the subject of the windmill; for although it 
is a very common machine, its construction is much more 
ingenious than is generally imagined; it must also be allowed 
to have a degree of perfection, to which few of the popular 
engines have yet arrived; but to do ample justice to my sub¬ 
ject, I should require several models which are not yet in 
readiness; besides, Tom’s holidays have nearly passed away: 
I must therefore postpone the examination of the mill to some 
future opportunity, and content myself, at present, with an 
explanation of its sails.” 

“ And let me tell you,” observed the vicar, “ that if you 
succeed in this one object, you will accomplish a task which 
has occupied years of mechanical research. The angle which 
the surface of the sails ought to make with their axis, in 
order that the wind may have the greatest effect, or the de¬ 
gree of weathering , as the millwrights call it,, is a matter of 
nice inquiry, and has much engaged the thoughts of the 
mathematicians.” 

“My remarks upon that subject will be very general,” said 
Mr. Seymour; “ I shall explain the principle, without enter¬ 
ing into the minutiae of its applications. The vertical wind¬ 
mill, which is the kind in most common use, consists, as you 
well know, of an axis, or shaft, placed in the direction of the 
wind, and usually inclining a little upward from the horizon 
tal line. At one end of this, four long arms, or yards, are 
fixed perpendicular to the axis, and across each other at right 
angles; these afford a surface, on w 7 hich a cloth can be spread 

23 




266 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


to receive the action of the wind. To conceive why these 
sails should revolve by the force of the wind, we must have 
recourse to the theory of compound motion. It is very evi¬ 
dent that, if a mill exposed directly to the wind should have 
its four sails perpendicular to the common axis in which they 
are fitted, they would receive the wind perpendicularly, an 
impulse which could only tend to overturn them; there is a 
necessity, therefore, to have them oblique to the common 
axis, that they may receive the wind obliquely, when their 
effort to recede from it causes them to turn round with 
the axis; and the four sails, being all made oblique in the 
same direction, thus' unite their efforts for the common 
object.” 

“You have not yet told us what degree of obliquity the 
sail ought to make with the wind,” said the vicar. 

44 The same as the kite ought to make, fifty-four degrees 
and forty four minutes.” 

44 Do you not remember, papa, when we were last in Lon¬ 
don, you pointed out to us a curious mill on the banks of the 
river, which went without any sails?” 

“ You allude to the horizontal mill at Battersea.” 

“ I remember it was at Battersea,” observed Louisa; “ and 
I dare say, papa, that you recollect the strange story which 
the waterman, who rowed us down the river, told Tom and 
myself. He said that, 4 when the Emperor of Russia was in 
London, he took a fancy to the neat little church at Batter¬ 
sea, and determined to carry it off to Russia; and that for 
this purpose he had sent a large packing-case; but, as the 
inhabitants refused to let the church be carried away, the 
case remained on the spot where it was deposited.’ ” 

44 It is not a bad story,” said her father, 44 for the mill cer¬ 
tainly, both in size and figure, may be imagined to resemble 
a gigantic packing-case. The mill, of which you are speak¬ 
ing, has been taken down, in consequence of its use having 
been superseded by the introduction of steam. It was erect¬ 
ed by Captain Hooper, who also built a similar one at Mar¬ 
gate. It consisted of a circular wheel, having large boards or 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


267 


vanes fixed parallel to its axis, and arranged at equal dis¬ 
tances from each other. Upon these vanes the wind could 
act, so as to blow the wheel round; but had it acted upon 
the vane at both sides of the wheel at once, it is evident that 
it could not have had any tendency to turn it round; hence, 
one side of the wheel was sheltered, while the other was sub¬ 
mitted to the full action of the wind. For this purpose it 
was inclosed within a large cylindrical framework, furnished 
with doors or shutters, on all sides, to open at pleasure and 
admit the wind, or to shut and stop it. If all the shutters 
on one side were open, while all those on the opposite side 
were closed, the wind, acting with undiminished force on the 
vanes at one side, while the opposite vanes were under shel¬ 
ter, turned the mill round; but whenever the wind changed, 
the disposition of the blinds was altered, to admit the wind 
to strike upon the vanes of the wheel *in the direction of a 
tangent to the circle in which they moved.” 

“ Well; have you any other machine to explain to your 
scholars?” asked the vicar; “fori am anxious to present 
them with a bow and arrow which I have provided for their 
amusement.” 

44 1 will, if you please, first describe to them the mechanism 
of the smoke-jack; and I am desirous of doing so, as I have 
a very pleasing experiment to exhibit, which is founded upon 
the same principle.” 

Mr. Seymour then described the more 
common form of this machine. It con¬ 
sisted, he said, of a number of vanes, 
of thin sheet-iron, arranged in a circle, 
as here represented, but all set oblique¬ 
ly at a proper angle of inclination. Its 
action was explained in the following 
manner: When a fire is kindled in the 
chimney, the air, which, by its rarefac¬ 
tion, immediately tends to ascend, strikes on the surfaces of 
the inclined vanes, and by a resolution of forces, similar to 
that already explained, causes the spindle, to which they are 








268 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


hi fixed, to turn round, and consequently communicates the 
same motion to the spit. The brisker the fire becomes, the 
quicker will the machine move, because in that case the air 
ascends with greater rapidity. 

“I will now exhibit to you a mechanical amusement which 
is founded on the same principle. Fetch me the piece of 
pasteboard which lies on the library tabje.” 

The pasteboard was produced, and Mr. Seymour described 
upon it a spiral, similar to that which is represented in the 
annexed figure. The spiral was cut out, and 
extended, by raising the center above the first 
revolution. It was then suspended upon a 
small spit of iron, which had been previously 
prepared, by applying the center or summit ot 
its spiral to its point. The whole was now 
placed on the top of a T^arm stove (the application of a lamp 
would have answered the same purpose), and the machine, 
to the great delight and astonishment of the children, soon 
put itself in motion, and turned without the 
assistance of any apparent agent. The agent, 
however, in this case, was the air, which, be¬ 
ing rarefied by the contact of a warm body, 
ascended, and thus produced a current. The 
accompanying sketch may render this experi¬ 
ment more intelligible to the reader. 

The vicar observed, that, to him, “ the ex¬ 
periment was perfectly novel; although he 
remembered having seen what he now sup¬ 
posed must have been a similar contrivance, but which, until 
that moment, he had always considered as the effect of clock¬ 
work.” 

“ And what might that have been?” asked Mr. Seymour. 

“ The revolution of a serpent, which I noticed in several 
windows in London, during a late illumination.” 

“Undoubtedly; it was nothing more than a spiral, so 
painted as to resemble that reptile, and which owed its mo¬ 
tion to the action of air heated by a lamp placed beneath it.” 







MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


269 


u Now, then,” exclaimed the vicar, “ let ns direct our at¬ 
tention to the bow and arrow; see the present I have pro¬ 
vided for you, Tom!” 

So saying, the worthy clergyman produced a how and a 
number of arrows, together with a target; which, at his de¬ 
sire, had been sent from London. 

“I think,” observed Mr. Seymour, “that you should ac¬ 
company your gift with some account of archery, or the art 
and exercise of shooting with the bow and arrow.” 

“ That will I readily do,” replied Mr. Twaddleton; who 
accordingly proceeded as follows : 

“ The bow is the most ancient and universal of all weap¬ 
ons, and has been found to obtain among the most barbarous 
and remote nations. In the days of David the practice of 
the bow would appear to have been so general, that it was 
not unfrequently made use of as a figure of speech. Israel, 
when blessing his sons, says of Joseph, ‘The archers have 
sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him; but his 
tow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made 
strong, by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.’ ” 

“ Its earliest application was probably for the purpose of 
obtaining food,” observed Mr. Seymour. 

“ Your conjecture has the weight of testimony,” replied the 
vicar; “ when Isaac sent Esau to the forest, he said, ‘ Take, 
I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver, and thy bow, and go 
out to the field, and take me some venison and it is even 
a question, whether the Saxon bow was ever used by the 
Anglo-Saxons and Danes for any other purpose than that of 
procuring food, or pastime; for the representation of this bow, 
in an ancient manuscriptf of the tenth century, shows it to 
have been very differently constructed from what one might 
expect in a military weapon; in size, too, it was a mere toy, 
compared with the bow of succeeding ages.” 

“ There can be no doubt that the bow and arrow was em¬ 
ployed for the purpose of killing animals for food from the 
earliest times; but its principal interest is derived from its 
* Gen. xlix. 28, 24 t MS. Cott. Claud. B. IV. 


23 * 



270 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


military applications : will you, therefore, give us a sketch of 
its history, and confine yourself to its practice as a warlike 
instrument in England?” 

“ And may I also beg of you, my dear sir,” added Mrs. 
Seymour, “ to explain the different terms which are em¬ 
ployed to denote its parts and applications ? Such informa¬ 
tion will be, just now, highly acceptable to me, as I am 
reading some romances, in which those terms are constantly 
occurring.” 

“You shall be obeyed, madam,” replied the vicar, with a 
courteous smile. 

“ We are, probably, indebted to the Norman conquest for 
the introduction of the bow and arrow as a hostile weapon; 
but, before I enter upon that subject, it is necessary to state, 
that the bows in use in England have been of two kinds, the 
common or long bow, and the cross bow. The former does 
not require any description from me; the latter, or Arbalet , 
as it was called (from Arbalesta , i. e., arcu-balista , a bow with 
a sling), consists of a steel bow, fastened upon a stock, and is 
discharged by means of a catch, or trigger , which probably 
gave rise to the lock upon the modern musket.” 

“ Excuse the interruption,” said Mrs. Seymour; “ but do 
allow me to ask whether Arguebusade does not derive its 
name from its having been formerly applied to wounds in¬ 
flicted by the cross-bow or Arbalet?” 

“ I thank you, madam; that etymology is entirely new to 
me, and will explain the medical name Aqua vulneraria, 
which has been applied to that spirit.” 

The vicar now proceeded without further interruption. 

“ The invention of cross-bows is said by ancient writers to 
have come from the Sicilians. They were first used in Eng¬ 
land by the Normans at the battle of Hastings; and a quarrel 
or bar-bolt (which is synonymous with the arrow of the long¬ 
bow) was the immediate cause of Harold’s death. In the 
reign of Stephen, in 1139, the second council of Lateran pro¬ 
hibited their use; and some historians assert, that they were 
not again used in this country till the reign of Richard I., 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


271 


whose death, occasioned by one at Chaluz, was considered as 
a judgment on his impiety. From the death of Richard till 
the splendid victories of Edward III., we hear little of the 
cross-bow as a military weapon. Its use appears to have 
been principally confined to the sieges of fortified places, and 
to sea-fights. In 1346, at the battle of Oressy, a large body 
of Genoese soldiers, who were particularly expert in its man¬ 
agement, were in the service of the French ;*but at the com¬ 
mencement of the action, a sudden shower wetted the strings 
and prevented the archers from doing their usual execution, 
while the English were still capable of annoying their enemies 
by the long bow with complete success; both this victory 
and that of Poictiers, ten years afterward, were chiefly as¬ 
cribed- by the English to their archers. In 1403, at the battle 
of Shrewsbury, where Hotspur was slain, the archers on both 
sides did terrible execution; and the victory of Agincourt, in 
1415, was entirely owing to their skill. Under Edward IY. 
an ordinance was made, that every Englishman and Irish¬ 
man, dwelling in England, should have a bow of his own 
height, to be made of yew, wych, hazel, ash, or any other 
seasonable tree, according to their power. By Henry VII. 
and his son Henry VIII. the use of the cross-bow was en¬ 
tirely forbidden; and a penalty of ten pounds was to be 
inflicted on every man in whose house one might be found. 
From this time they seem to have been chiefly used for killing 
deer.* Henry VIII. compelled every father to provide a 
long-bow and two arrows for his son at seven years old. 
Edward VI., Elizabeth, and James, all encouraged archery; 
John Lyon, who founded Harrow school in 1590, two years 
before his death, drew up rules for its direction, whereby the 
amusements of the scholars were confined to ‘ driving a top, 
tossing a hand-ball, running, and shooting.’ The last-men¬ 
tioned diversion is in a manner insisted on by the founder, 
who requires all parents to furnish their children with bow¬ 
string, shafts, and tresters, to exercise shooting. A silver 


* See Shakspeare's Henry VI. 



272 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


arrow used some years ago to be shot for by the young gen¬ 
tlemen of that school.” 

The vicar concluded, and received the thanks of the party 
for the interesting information he had afforded them. 

“ There is one circumstance connected with the military 
history of the long-bow,” said Mrs. Seymour, “ which has 
somewhat surprised me; and that is, why it should so long 
have continued in estimation after the use of gunpowder.” 

“ That circumstance,” replied her husband, “ will cease to 
astonish you, when you remember that, until the last cen¬ 
tury, muskets were very unwieldy instruments; they were 
never used without a rest, had no bayonets, and could not be 
so frequently discharged as they are at present.” 

u Come,” said the vicar, “ I perceive that the children are 
impatient to try their skill with their new instrument; let us 
walk out, and I will play the Scythian* upon this occasion.” 

“ Mow, Tom,” cried Mr. Twaddleton, “ we must have an 
object. Let me see. Shall it be the ‘ but' ‘ pricke' or ‘ roa- 
ver . ?, f Come, try whether you can hit yonder gate-post. 
Take your bow, and here is an arrow.” 

• Tom took the bow, and, placing the arrow on the string, 
was about to draw the latter, when the vicar exclaimed, 
u Stop—stop; you must pull back your hand to your right 
ear, in order to shoot the arrow; whereas you have placed 
the bow directly before you, and are about to return your 
hand to the right breast.” 

“ I thought,” said Tom, “ that was the proper position; for 
I remember reading of the Amazonian women, who are said 
to have parted with their right breasts, lest they should prove 
an impediment to their using the bow.” 

“ I do not mean to assert,” replied the vicar, “ that there 
is not ample classical authority for your proceeding. The 

* The ancient nobility of Greece were instructed by the Scythians in the 
use of the bow, which iii those days passed for a most princely education.— 
Potter , Arch. Graze, tom. ii. 1, iii. cap. 4. Aquin. Lem. Milit. ii. 260. 

t The 11 but" was a level mark; the “ pricks" a mark of compass, but cer¬ 
tain in its distance ; the “ roarer" was a mark of uncertain length. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


273 


Amazons undoubtedly shot their arrows in such a position; 
and so, in truth, did the primitive Grecians ;* although the 
ancient Persians drew the arrow to the ear, according to 
the fashion of later ages, and which I greatly prefer for its 
superior convenience.* In all the Assyrian sculptures in the 
British Museum, it may he seen that the arrow is univer¬ 
sally drawn to the ear or cheek. You may also recollect, as 
you have been lately reading ‘ The Tales of a Grandfather,’ 
that the superiority of the English archers was ascribed to 
this mode of using their bows; the words of Sir W. Scott, if 
I rightly recollect, are these: — ‘ The archers of England were 
taught to draw the bow-string to their right ear, while other 
European nations only drew it to the breast.’ Now,” con¬ 
tinued the vicar, “ if you try the difference of these postures, 
you will find that a much longer arrow can be drawn to the 
ear than to the breast, because the right arm has more 
room.” 

The party now amused themselves for some time; each 
shooting in his turn at the mark which was chosen for the 
trial; and with a success which, considering it was their first 
attempt, the vicar declared to be “ quite marvelous, and that 
Tom would in time become a second Eurytus.”f 

At the conclusion of the sport, Mr. Twaddleton informed 
his friends that parochial duties required his attendance at 
the vestry, but Mr. Seymour told him that he should expect 
his company in the evening. 

It was just six o’clock, when the sound of the porter’s bell, 
and the rolling of carriage-wheels, announced the approach 
of some important stranger to the Lodge. It was Miss Til¬ 
lers. Were this a romance rather than an instructive history, 
we should at once charge our pencil with the glowing hues 
of the rainbow, and proceed to color the outline which the 
imagination of the reader must have already sketched: but 

* Thus, Pandarus in the fourth Iliad: 

“ Close to his breast he strains the nerve below, 

Till the barb’s point approach the circling bow.” 

t Tbs king of CEchalia, famous for his skill in archery. — Odyss. xiii. 



274 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


the character of the present composition fortunately renders 
such a task unnecessary; we say “ fortunately,” for the mag¬ 
azines of romance have actually become insolvent from the 
numerous and heavy drafts of the novel-writer; the regions 
of fancy have been so despoiled of their blossoms, that 
scarcely a flower can be culled by him who would entwine a 
garland for the brow of his heroine; and such even as may 
have escaped the grasp of this voracious horde, will be found 
to have faded under the withering influence of those insects 
of literature, which, fluttering or creeping about their petals, 
have rendered their fragrance pestilential, and turned their 
honey into bitterness. Where can be found the emblem of 
that damask lip which, arched like the bow of Cupid, shot an 
unerring dart, whenever a smile relaxed its tension? We 
might describe the perfect symmetry of her form, but what 
language could convey to the mind’s eye the witcheries with 
which the Graces had surrounded it ? we might depict the 
features of her countenance, but how could we catch and fix 
the varying expressions which lighted it up with the magic 
glow of intelligence? We must, therefore, exercise the judg¬ 
ment of Timanthes, and leave the reader to the sway of his 
own imagination. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


275 


CHAPTER XVII. 

A CURIOUS AND DISCURSIVE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE VICAR AND MISS 
VILLERS.-A PASSIONATE APPEAL IN FAVOR OF FLOWERS.-AN EN¬ 
IGMA.-THE RIDDLES OF SAMSON AND CLEOBULUS.-THE MYTH OF 

CASTOR AND POLLUX.-SOUND.-HOW PROPAGATED BY AERIAL VIBRA¬ 
TION.-THEORY OF MUSICAL SOUNDS. 


On the following morning, Miss Villers, accompanied by her 
friends, proceeded to Osterley Park, to pay her compliments 
to Major Snap well, and to add her entreaties to those of Mr. 
and Mrs. Seymour to induce the venerable major to spend a 
few days at Overton Lodge. The children, of course, had a 
holiday; but was it a holiday ? Tom and his sister have 
been frequently heard to declare that they never passed a 
more dull and listless day; and, on resuming their scientific 
sports, their manner sufficiently testified that increased pleas¬ 
ure which always accompanies our return to an agreeable 
occupation. 

“ Mr. Twaddleton,” said Miss Villers, addressing the wor¬ 
thy vicar as he entered the library at Overton, “ I am happy 
to say that Major Snap well has consented to pass a few days 
with us; but to this promise he has annexed a condition, and 
I hope you will cheerfully ratify the agreement of which I 
have ventured to approve. It is that our party should re¬ 
turn with him to Osterley Park, and assist in planning and 
laying out his flower-garden, which I must admit is, at pres¬ 
ent, in a very disorderly and undisciplined condition.” 

“Ha! ha! ha!—The vicar of Overton, and a Fellow of the 
Society of Antiquaries, turned Gentleman Usher in the court 
of Flora!—Well, well! be it even so—I am content,” said 
the vicar, “ sheltered as I shall be under the hallowed winga 





276 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


of Lord Bacon, Evelyn, Pope, Addison, and Shenstone, all of 
whom, with a host of other eminent men, have delighted in 
the cultivation of the flower-garden. As for myself, I am a 
true lover of flowers, not only for their beauty, of which I 
am keenly sensible, but for their cheering influence upon the 
poor invalid, languishing on the bed of sickness. You may 
well suppose, my dear lady, that as a Christian minister I can 
testify to their soothing and consolatory influence.—How 
often have I during my parochial visits seen the languid eye 
brighten, the cheek glow, and the smile of pleasure animate 
the pallid countenance, as I placed on the pillow a bouquet of 
flowers, fresh from the garden, and steeped in all the richness 
of their native fragrance! they were welcomed as the emblems 
of hopeful promise, breathing as it were their healthy fresh¬ 
ness upon the decaying frame of the sufferer; and arousing 
the faltering powers of life through the influence of a myste¬ 
rious sympathy.” 

“ I never heard a more eloquent and passionate appeal in 
favor of flowers,” said Miss Villers. 

“ We must also enlist the young people into our service 
upon this occasion,” observed the vicar; “ for if I recollect 
correctly, Xenophon in his Cyropaadia represents the study 
of flowers as an important branch of the education of the 
Persian youth.” 

“I am no stranger,” replied Miss Villers, “to the scheme 
in which, with Mr. Seymour, you have been so laudably en¬ 
gaged, to divest science of its sterner aspect; it is a subject 
which greatly interests me, and I shall be most happy in be¬ 
ing allowed to become one of your pupils: nor am I unac¬ 
quainted, sir, with the advantages which your antiquarian 
knowledge has conferred; you have garnished the intellectual 
banquet with some of the choicest flowers of literature, and 
clothed the moldering remains of former times with a reviv¬ 
ing verdure.” 

“ You do me far too much honor, madam,” said the vicar, 
as a gracious smile flitted over his countenance ; “ but I re¬ 
joice to find that you attach a becoming importance to the 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


277 


researches of the antiquary. May I be allowed to hope that 
you will favor me with a visit at the vicarage, and inspect 
my poor collection of antiques ?” 

“ I anticipate a great treat, I do assure you,” said Miss 
Villers; “but you speak too humbly of a collection which 
the major informs me contains some of the rarest relics of 
ancient days.” 

“ The major, madam, is no doubt a judge, an excellent 

judge, madam, although he is occasionally-but no matter 

—no matter. I certainly, as he justly says, do possess some 
few remarkable specimens. I have, for instance, an undoubt¬ 
ed specimen of the leathern money coined by John of France; 
some very tolerable samples of tapestry of the ‘ high and low 
warpa series of sigilla or seals; as well as an interesting 
collection of impressions in wax, taken from grants of Wil¬ 
liam the Conqueror, and, what is curious, the color of these 
waxen impressions is green, with a view, as it has been said, 
to signify that the acts should forever continue fresh and in 
force.” 

“ The symbolical interpretation of colors,” said Miss Vil¬ 
lers, “ has lately engaged my attention, and I have learnt that 
the color of the falling leaf led certain nations to adopt yel¬ 
low as the symbol of mourning.” 

“More poetical than just,” observed the vicar; “for, be 
assured, my dear lady, that black is indicated by nature as 
the garb of mourning. It is felt by the senses, and acknowl¬ 
edged by science. It is the emblem of darkness, excluding 
that joy which light universally imparts. It is the emphatic 
emblem of death, for, were the emanations from the sun sus¬ 
pended, even for a few seconds, all nature would return to 
chaos. But, quitting this digression, let me resume the thread 
of our discourse. We were speaking, I think, about my col¬ 
lection at the vicarage. Well, let me consider; what other 
curiosities have I to display for your amusement and appro¬ 
bation ? Rock-basins ? yes, the rock-basins from Oarn-breh. 
Ay, madam, you will be quite astonished at a specimen 
which--” At this instant, Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, followed 

M 



278 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


by the children, entered the apartment, and abruptly cut the 
thread of the vicar’s harangue. 

u What do I hear ?” exclaimed Mr. Seymour: u rock-ba¬ 
sins ! for mercy’s sake, my dear vicar, let us not again dive 
into those horrid basins of Druidism; I verily believe you 
would willingly go to the stake in defense of those supposed 
pools of lustration.” 

“ Well, well,” replied the vicar, pettishly; “ let us drop the 
disputed subject, as I have another treasure lately obtained 
from Cornwall, which you have not yet seen—a sepulchral 
stone!—‘ In vestibub astatf as the poet has it.” 

“ Why, I never observed it as I passed through the en¬ 
trance,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Excuse me,” observed the vicar, “ the Vestibule , if you 
please. You doubtless know it was a custom among the Ro¬ 
mans to have an altar sacred to Yesta in the entrance of their 
houses, and hence the term. But I beg a thousand pardons 
— 1 taenia sit dicto ’—I am perhaps too critical.” 

“Not only pardon, but thanks, my dear sir, for the infor¬ 
mation you have afforded us,” said Mr. Seymour, in a tone 
of conciliation. 

Miss Yillers was now invited to be present at one of the 
scientific conversations. 

u I shall be grateful to you for so pleasing a privilege,” ob¬ 
served the young lady; “ and,” continued she, u may I be 
allowed to ask whether you have not been lately teaching 
my young friends the operation of those various toys which 
act by the force of the air ? The object I have in view in 
asking this question you shall presently hear.” 

“ Papa has lately taught us the reason of the kite’s ascent, 
and the action of the squirt, sucker, and pump,” said Tom. 

“So I understood; and before you proceed with your 
sportive philosophy, I hope your papa will allow you to try 
whether you can solve an enigma I have composed for 
you.” 

“A riddle!” exclaimed Louisa; “how delightful! Pray 
read it, and let us try to discover its meaning.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


279 


Her father then opened the paper with which Miss Yillers 
had presented him, and read as follows: 

“ Mortal, wouldst thou know my name, 

Scan the powers I proudly claim. 

O’er this globe’s capacious round 
With fairy sprightliness I bound; 

O’er sea and land my power extends, 

To every herb my care descends. 

Did I withhold my vital breath. 

Nature’s forms would sink in death. 

When confined, or swiftly driven 
By angry spirits in the heaven, 

My wrath in thunders I make known, 

And discord claims me as her own. 

’Tis love of freedom makes me wild,— 

When uncontrol’d, my nature’s mild; 

And oft the nymph in dewy grot, 

Seeks solace from my plaintive note; 

O’er lovers’ graves I waft a sigh, 

And breathe the sound of sympathy. 

And know, ye sons of Albion’s isle, 

That when the Hero of the Nile, 

Midst crowds with mournful pomp array’d, 

In the cold lap of Earth was laid, 

I sympathized with Britain’s tear, 

And waved the banner o’er his bier, 

’Tis I, who from the trembling lyre 
Breathe tones of love and soft desire ; 

’Tis I, the spirit of the shell, 

Who fill with notes the listening dell; 

And when the war-trump sounds alarm, 

’Tis I who summon men to arm. 

Made captive by the arts of man, 

My various services began; 

To grind his corn, to drain his lands, 

I soon was task’d, to spare his hands. 

Should he to foreign climes proceed, 

He yokes mo like the neighing steed, 

And, by my quick but easy motion, 

He traverses the stormy ocean. 

’ His children, too, my presence court, 

To give them toys, and make them sport: 



280 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


Without my aid their kites would lie 
As useless weights that ne’er could fly; 

Their humming-tops would soundless spin, 

Unless I breathed a spell within. 

The modest maid, without my power, 

Would wither like her kindred flower 
Unless my cup of sweets she sips, 

Where are the rubies of her lips ? 

Unless my glowing rouge she seeks, 

Where are the roses of her cheeks ? 

What art again can strew her tresses 
With half the grace my skill possesses ? 

Even goddesses are represented 
In draperies which I invented. 

Sometimes, ’tis true, I am so frail 
As ruffian-like to raise your veil, 

And thus to curious man reveal 
The charms you modestly conceal. 

Eevenge the deed. Announce my name, 

For now you know the powers I claim.” 

u Let me consider,” said Tom, thoughtfully; u it grinds our 
corn, and drains the land—why, that must he a mill.” 

“ Nonsense!” cried Louisa; “ how can a mill carry our 
ships across the sea ?—perhaps it is canvas,” said she, at the 
same time casting an inquiring glance at the vicar, which the 
reverend gentleman gravely recognized, hy exclaiming, “ Da¬ 
ms sum, non (Edipus At that moment Miss Villers whis¬ 
pered in the ear of her little favorite, who shortly afterward 
exultingly pronounced it to he Ant. 

“To he sure,” said Tom, “hut air in motion—it is "Wind.” 

The juvenile group now attentively perused the enigma, 
in order to discover whether its different parts would admit 
of such an interpretation. As soon as they arrived at the 
passage in which was described the waving of the banners 
over the bier of Nelson, Mr. Seymour interrupted them. 

“ It so happened,” said he, “ that I was present during the 
awful ceremony of Nelson’s interment in St. Paul’s; and 
never shall I forget the thrilling effect which was produced 
on the assembled multitude, by the solemn movement of the 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


281 


banners in the dome, as the bier slowly advanced along the 
nave of the cathedral; and which was accidentally occasioned 
by a current of air from the western entrance, although, to 
the eye of fancy, it seemed as if some attendant spirit had 
directed the colors, under which the hero had bled and con¬ 
quered, to offer this supernatural testimony of respect and 
sorrow.” 

Miss Villers observed that Louisa had unquestionably solved 
the riddle. 

“ And pray, my dear Mr. Twaddleton,” said Mrs. Seymour, 

■ 4 what say you to these puzzles and rhyming conundrums ? 
Do you hold them in as much horror as you would so many 
puns?” 

“By no means, my good madam. An enigma is a per¬ 
fectly orthodox species of composition; and is, indeed, sanc¬ 
tioned by the highest authorities of antiquity.” 

“I believe,” observed Mr. Seymour, “that the pastime of 
riddle-making was extremely popular among the Grecians. 
Plutarch, if I remember correctly, has told us that the girls 
of his time worked at knitting or sewing, and that the most 
ingenious among them 4 made riddles.’ ” 

“ The most ancient riddle on record,” replied the vicar, 
“is to be found in the fourteenth chapter of the book of 
Judges.” 

“ We have also numerous riddles in profane writers of an¬ 
cient date,” observed Mr. Seymour. 

“ Did you ever read of that invented by Cleobulus, one of 
the seven wise men of Greece, who lived 570 years before 
Christ ?” inquired the vicar. 

“ Pray be so kind as to relate it,” said Tom. 

Mr. Twaddleton, in compliance with this request, pro¬ 
ceeded as follows: 

44 There is a father with twice six sons: these sons have 
each thirty daughters, who are parti-colored, having one 
cheek white, the other black. They never see each other’s 
faces, nor live above twenty-four hours.” 

“ A very strange and unsociable family!” observed Louisa. 
94* 



282 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ I should never guess it,” said Tom, u if I were to try for 
a whole year.” 

“You have nevertheless, my boy, just pronounced the 
name of the said father, and that, too, after a single mo¬ 
ment’s consideration,” replied the vicar. 

“ The name of the father ? how ?—where ?” 

“It is a tear!” 

“A year!” exclaimed the astonished boy. 

A year!” echoed Louisa; “ to be sure it is; I now see it 
all clearly. His 4 twice six sons’ are the twelve months; the 
4 thirty daughters’ the days of the month ; and, since one day 
must necessarily pass away before the next can arrive, they 
may be truly said never to see each other’s faces.” 

“ Admirably expounded!” cried the vicar. 

“ And each day,” added Tom, “ is certainly 4 parti-colored, 1 
as it is made up of light and darkness.” 

The vicar here observed that the classical myth of Castor 
and Pollux, who were said 44 to live and die alternately,” 
would admit of a similar interpretation. 44 According to 
Eustatius,” said he, 44 they represented the two hemispheres 
of the world, the one of which being enlightened by the sun, 
the other must consequently be at that time in darkness. 
Homer thus alludes to them :* 

4 And live alternate, and alternate die: 

In hell beneath, on earth, in heaven above, 

Reign the twin gods, the fav’rite sons of Jove.’ ” 

Mr. Seymour here informed the party that it was his in¬ 
tention to enter upon the consideration of such toys as pro¬ 
duced sounds.” 

“ I suppose you mean the whistle, whiz-gig, and humming- 
top,” observed Tom. 

44 Your papa, no doubt, alludes to the crepundm\ of clas¬ 
sical recollections,” said the vicar, 44 and I greatly approve of 

* Odyss. xi. 

t “ Crepttndia,” noisy toys. They were carried with the bride’s utensils, 
in procession to her husband’s house, in anticipation, no doubt, of a rising 
generation. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


283 


the arrangement; since our last lecture embraced the opera¬ 
tions of the atmosphere, a subject with which the nature of 
sound is intimately connected.” 

“We have lately considered the phenomenon of wind, as 
produced by the motions of the atmosphere, and I now pro¬ 
pose to investigate another species of agitation of which the 
air is susceptible, a kind of vibratory or tremulous motion, 
which, striking on the drum of the ear, produces sound.” 

“Is it the air which produces sound?” said Louisa, with 
much surprise; “I thought it was always occasioned by the 
vibrations of solid bodies. Well do I remember, when Tom 
struck the finger-glass, that you immediately silenced the 
sound by placing your hand upon it, and which you told 
us stopped the vibration of the glass, and so destroyed the 
sound.” 

“ You speak the truth, but not the whole truth,” replied 
her father. “ Sound is undoubtedly the result of certain mo¬ 
tions, or vibrations, produced in sonorous bodies, but these 
vibrations are communicated to the air, and from thence to 
the ear, in a manner which I shall presently explain.” 

“ Do you mean to say, papa, that if air were entirely ex¬ 
cluded, bodies would be incapable of producing sound when 
struck ?” 

“Not exactly. Air is the usual conductor of sound, and, 
unless some other medium be substituted, the removal of it 
would prevent a sonorous body from communicating any 
sensation to the ear. Liquids, however, are capable of con¬ 
veying the vibratory motion to the organ of hearing; for 
sound can be heard under water. Solid bodies will also con¬ 
vey it, and in a much more perfect and rapid manner (12); 
thus the slightest scratch with a pin, upon one end of a long 
piece of timber, will be distinctly heard on applying the ear 
to its opposite extremity. The tramping of a horse is to be 
perceived at a greater distance by listening with the ear in 
contact with the ground, than by attending to the sound con¬ 
veyed through the air; and hence, among many eastern 
tribes, it is a oommon practice to ascertain the approach of 



284 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


an enemy, by applying the ear to the ground. Upon the 
same principle, if we place our ear against a long brick wall, 
and desire a person at a considerable distance to strike it once 
with a hammer, it will be heard twice , the first sound travel¬ 
ing along the wall, the second through the air.” 

“ I thank you for that hint,” said the vicar. “ I now un¬ 
derstand the principle of a new instrument which Dr. Dose- 
all employs for examining the pulsations of the heart. He 
places the end of a wooden rod upon the breast, and, apply¬ 
ing the other extremity to his ear, declares that the sounds, 
thus conveyed to it, enable him to form the most accurate 
opinion in cases of diseased chest.” 

u In the same manner,” observed Mrs. Seymour, “ that you 
may hear the boiling of the tea-kettle, by placing the end of 
the poker on the vessel, and applying your ear to the 
handle.” 

“ I do not exactly understand what you mean by a sono¬ 
rous body. Will not every body produce a sound when 
struck ?” asked Fanny. 

“Those bodies are called sonorous , which produce clear, 
distinct, regular, and durable sounds, such as a bell, a drum, 
musical strings, wind instruments, and so on.” 

“ And upon what does this peculiar property depend ■?” 
inquired Tom. 

“ Before I answer that question, I must explain the sup¬ 
posed nature of those vibrations of the air, upon which sound 
depends; you will then readily perceive why one species of 
matter should be better calculated than another for exciting 
them. It is generally believed that sound is conveyed through 
an* by a succession of pulsations similar to those which are 
occasioned on the surface of smooth water by throwing a 
pebble into it. ’ This at first produces a small circular wave 
round the spot in which the stone falls; the wave spreads, 
and gradually communicates its motion to the adjacent waters, 
producing similar waves to a considerable extent. The same 
kind of waves are produced in the air by the motion of a so¬ 
norous body, which will of course be in the oenter, and the 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


285 


waves or pulsations will diminish in strength as they recede 
from that center, until at last they become too weak to pro¬ 
duce any effect on the ear.” 

“ When I strike a bell, do I produce exactly the same mo¬ 
tion in the air that I do in the water by throwing a stone 
in it?” asked Louisa. 

“ With this difference,” replied her father, “ that, as air is 
an elastic fluid, the motion does not consist of regularly ex¬ 
tending waves, but of vibrations, which are composed of a 
motion forward and backward; the undulations of the air 
differ also from those of the water, in not being confined to 
a plane, but in diverging in all directions from the center; or 
in other words, the aerial undulations are spherical.” 

“ It is a very puzzling subject,” cried Tom. 

“I cannot understand,” said Louisa, “how the motion 
of the ah can extend so as to convey sound to a dis¬ 
tance, if, as papa says, the air moves backward as well as 
forward.” 

“I see your difficulty, and will endeavor to remove it; at¬ 
tend to me. The first set of undulations which are produced 
immediately around the sonorous body, by pressing agains^ 
the contiguous ah, condense it. The condensed air, though 
impelled forward by the pressure, reacts on the first set of 
undulations, driving them back again. The second set which 
have been put in action, in their turn communicate their mo¬ 
tion, and are themselves driven back by reaction. Thus 
there is a succession of waves in the air, corresponding with 
the succession of waves in the water.” 

“ Now I understand why sound requires some time to travel 
from a distant object to the ear, as you explained to us upon 
a former occasion,”* said Louisa. 

u But you have not yet told us what renders a body sono¬ 
rous,” observed Tom. 

u Its elasticity: a ball of damp clay, which does not possess 
this property, will produce no other sound when struck, but 
that which arises from the condensation of the small portion 
* See page 50. 



286 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


of air between the clay and the hammer which strikes it. A 
hollow ball of brass will produce more sound, because it is 
elastic; but still very little effect will arise from this, since a 
ball is the worst shape for admitting of vibration, on account 
of its forming an arch or dome in every direction, so that 
one part stiffens and sustains the other; but if such a ball be 
divided, and the edge of one half of it struck, a loud, clear, 
and distinct tone will be produced; because a hemisphere 
will admit of the exertion of elasticity, or of momentary 
change of figure, which is conducive to the perfection of 
sound; and accordingly the bells used for clocks, and for 
musical purposes, have generally such a figure.” 

“ I see, clearly,” said Louisa, “ that it is the vibration of a 
sonorous body that communicates the necessary motions to 
the air; and I suppose that a body vibrates in proportion to 
its elasticity.” 

u Certainly it does: but to render this subject still more 
intelligible, I have prepared a diagram.” 

Mr. Seymour then exhibited a figure, of which the annexed 
is a copy, and proceeded to explain it in the following man¬ 
ner: 




You are well aware that an elastic body, after having been 
struck, not only returns to its former situation, but, having 
acquired momentum by its velocity, like the pendulum or 
swing,* springs out on the opposite side. If, then, I draw the 
string a b, which is made fast at both ends, to o, it will not 
only return to its original position, but proceed onward to d. 
This is the first vibration, at the end of which it will retain 
* See page 174 et sec. 








MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


287 


sufficient velocity to bring it to e, and back again to f, which 
constitutes its second vibration; the third vibration will carry 
it only to g and h, and so on, till the resistance of the air de¬ 
stroys its motion.” 

“ That is exactly like the swing or pendulum,” said 
Tom. 

u As you are struck with the resemblance, take care and 
preserve the remembrance of it; for I shall hereafter have 
occasion to revert to it.” 

u As I now understand how sound is produced and carried 
to a distance, I should much like to learn the cause of differ¬ 
ent tones,” said Louisa. 

“ Fond as you are of music, my dear Louisa, I am not sur¬ 
prised at the wish you have just expressed to become ac¬ 
quainted with the nature of musical sounds; I shall, there¬ 
fore, endeavor to convey, in as simple a manner as possible, 
the theory which has been proposed for their explanation. I 
think you will immediately perceive that, if the aerial waves, 
which I have endeavored to describe, should be irregular, or 
run into each other, there must arise a confusion of sounds; 
thus discords may be readily imagined to be produced when¬ 
ever a second vibration shall commence before the first is fin¬ 
ished, so as to meet it half way on its return, and interrupt 
it in its course. In like manner may we conceive the general 
nature of those arrangements upon which unison and concord 
depend; where the vibrations are performed in equal times, 
the same tone is produced by both, and they are said to be in 
unison; but concord , as you well know, is not confined to 
unison, for two different tones harmonize in a variety of cases. 
If, for example, the particles of one sonorous body vibrate in 
double the time of another, the second vibration of the latter 
will strike the ear at the same instant as the first vibration of 
the former; and this is the ‘ concord of an octave .’ When 
the vibrations are as 2 to 3, the coincidence will be at every 
third vibration of the quickest, which, therefore, is the next 
degree of perfection, and is called a 1 diapente' or ‘fifth,’ 
while the vibration of 3 to 4 will produce the ‘ diatessaron ,’ 



288 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


or ‘ fourthbut this and the next which follow in order are 
not so agreeable to the judicious ear, and are therefore called 
‘ imperfect concords.'' ” 

Louisa here inquired whether the difference in the acute¬ 
ness of a sound did not depend upon the nature of the vibra¬ 
tions ; and her father, in reply, stated that it depended en¬ 
tirely upon the degree of quickness with which the vibrations 
were performed: the slower the vibration, the graver the 
tone; the quicker, the more acute.”* 

“ But, if I strike any one note of the instrument repeatedly, 
whether quickly or slowly, it always gives the same tone,” 
observed Louisa. 

“ To understand that fact,” replied her father, “you must 
remember that the vibrations of bodies are regulated by laws 
very similar to those of the pendulum; consequently the du¬ 
ration of the vibrations of strings or chords depends upon 
their length and thickness; for if two strings of equal magni¬ 
tude, but with their lengths as 2 to 1, be equally stretched, 
then* vibrations will be in the same ratio; therefore, the short¬ 
est will make two vibrations, while the longest makes one; 
but the vibrations of the same string will always be the same 
whether it be struck quickly or slowly, upon the principle 
of the isochronous property of the pendulum, already de¬ 
scribed.” 

“Upon my word, Mr. Seymour,” cried Mr. Twaddleton, 
“ you are getting out of our depth; pray let us take leave 
of this subject, for I am quite sure that my young friends 
have already received more than they can profitably carry 
away.” 

“ I submit, my good sir; and in return for my compli¬ 
ance,” said Mr. Seymour, “use your influence with Miss Yil- 
lers, and induce her to favor us with a practical illustration 
of our subject upon the pianoforte.” 

“ Most cheerfully; but my intercession is quite unneces- 

* The number of vibrations made by the wings of insects, as before stated, 
has been ingeniously deduced from the tone which they produce. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


289 


sary, for I am sure that our fair friend is no disciple of Tigel- 
lius.”* + 

“ I am ever ready, sir, to comply with the wishes of those 
I respect. I consider the caprice which our sex too often 
displays upon these occasions, as not only a breach of good 
taste, but an evidence of unpardonable vanity.” 


* Horat. Sat., lib. i. sat. 3. 

25 



290 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


CHAPTER XV 111. 

A LEARNED DISCUSSION, TOUCHING THE SUPERIOR POWERS OF AN¬ 
CIENT, COMPARED WITH MODERN MUSIC.-MR. SEYMOUR COMBATS 

THE PREJUDICES OF THE VICAR, AND SUPPORTS THE CLAIMS OF 
MODERN MUSIC.-THE IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL AIRS AND BAL¬ 
LADS.-DIBDIN’s SONGS, AND MONK LEWIS'S BALLADS.-POETRY THE 

SISTER OF MUSIC.-THE SIRENS OF HOMER.-THE MAGIC OF MUSIC, 

A GAME HERE DESCRIBED FOR THE FIRST TIME.-THE VIOAr’s PER¬ 
FORMANCE.-ADVENTURES BY MOONLIGHT.-SPIRITS OF THE VALLEY, 

AND A SPECTER AT THE WATERFALL.-GOOD NIGHT. 


After the several conversations related in the foregoing 
pages, the reader will not he surprised to find that the opinion 
of the vicar, regarding the superior attainments of Miss Vil- 
lers, had daily acquired an increasing ascendancy; and had 
that lady been free and disengaged, and could u dear Mr. 
Twaddleton” have obtained a slice of one of those Scandina¬ 
vian apples to which Mr. Seymour had lately alluded, we are 
by no means sure, in spite of his bachelor tendencies, that the 
current of his admiration might not have murmured in a 
softer channel:—but that is beside our present purpose. We 
only desire to impress upon our readers the high amount of 
respect he entertained for her abilities and judgment; and it 
was under such a conviction that he was induced to submit a 
question which gave rise to the learned discussion we are now 
about to relate. 

“ Pray, Miss Villers,” said the vicar, “ may I be allowed to 
inquire whether, amidst your diversified pursuits, you have 
ever directed your inquiries into the nature of ancient music ? 
I have long been convinced that it must have been very su¬ 
perior in power and effect to that of modern times, although 
I am well aware that our friend Mr. Seymour entertains a 





MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


291 


very different opinion; and, with his usual banter, tells me, 
that all my crotchets are of the old school.” 

u TJpon a question of such doubt and difficulty, I feel that 
it would ill become a person of my very limited knowledge 
to offer an opinion; although,” added Miss Villers, “ I am 
willing to confess that the subject has not entirely escaped 
my attention; and you could not afford me a greater gratifi¬ 
cation than by clearing up some of those doubts which have 
perplexed me. It is, I believe, admitted, that we are unable 
to ascertain the real nature of ancient music; but it is evi¬ 
dent that it was an art with which mankind was extremely 
delighted ; for not only the poets, but the historians and phi¬ 
losophers, of the best ages of Greece and Rome, are as diffuse 
in its praises, as of those arts concerning which sufficient 
remains have descended to evince the truth of their pane¬ 
gyrics.” 

“ Nothing, as you very justly observe, is now left us but 
conjecture,” said the vicar; u and yet it is impossible to read 
the accounts of the extraordinary effects produced by the 
different ‘ modes' 1 of ancient music, without entertaining a 
strong conviction of its superiority over that of modern times. 
What have we, my dear Miss Villers, to compare with the 
soft ‘ Lydian] the grave ‘ Dorian ,’ or the furious '‘Phrygian 
to say nothing of the subaltern modes of Aristides Quintilia- 
nus, and others; such, for example, as the ‘ erotic ,’ ‘ comic] 
and ‘ encomiastic V What modern strains can produce the 
effects which are recorded to have followed the performance 
of Timotheus, the director of the music of Alexander the 
Great ? One day, while the prince was at table, the musician 
performed an air in the Phrygian mode, which made such an 
impression on him, that, being already heated with wine, he 
flew to his arms, and was going to attack his guests, had not 
Timotheus immediately changed the style of his performance 
to the sub-Phrygian, or Lydian. Music,” continued the 
vicar, “ has, in modern times, so fallen from this degree of 
majesty and power, as to induce some persons to doubt the 
truth of the historical statements.” 



292 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ I confess, Mr. Twaddleton,” said Miss Villers, u that I 
have always been inclined to regard, ancient music as the 
vehicle of poetry; and in a great degree to attribute to the 
power of the latter that influence which you appear to refer 
exclusively to the former.” 

“I am willing to admit,” replied the vicar, “that, in the 
ancient theater, poetry always accompanied her sister science, 
assisting, animating, and supporting her; in short, that she 
was, in all respects, her friend and fellow-laborer, 1 quolem 
decet esse sororem ,’ as thepoetrhas it: but does not this rather 
prove that poetry, in itself, was insufficient to produce its full 
effects without the aid of music ? In further proof of the 
power of ancient music, permit me to remind you that Plato 
has said, ‘ Ho change can be made in music without affecting 
the constitution of the state;’ and Aristotle, who seems to 
have written his Politics only to oppose the sentiments of 
Plato, nevertheless agrees with him concerning the power 
which music has over mortals; and has not the judicious 
Polybius told us that music was necessary to soften the man¬ 
ners of the Arcadians ? In short, madam, music has lost its 
power over the passions of mankind, and this can only have 
happened in consequence of its having degenerated from its 
ancient purity and grandeur. If any one should have the 
hardihood to deny this my position, let him attend a modern 
rout in London. I have seen, my dear Miss Villers, a party 
at a whist-table, a dozen persons in tete-a-tete , and as many 
solitary individuals, sitting like automatons, not one of them 
being moved by the concord of sweet sounds with which 
some lady has been endeavoring to delight them.” 

“ That is exactly as it should be,” interposed Mr. Seymour; 
“ whist* and music have nothing in common, but are really 
antagonistic.” 

“ I admit it,” said the vicar. “ Silence, by a generally ac¬ 
knowledged convention, is to wait on whist; and yet methinks, 

* Whist! an interjection commanding silence; a name suggestive of a very- 
important, and even imperative condition of the game; whence, we presume, 
its name. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


293 


had Timotheus appeared among them! hey, Miss Villers? 

I think I see the party at the whist-table, as his lyre suddenly 
changed from the Lydian to the Phrygian mode. I must, 
however, in candor state, that I once did actually see a lady 
lay down her cards in an apparent state of ecstasy, as a cho¬ 
rus of Handel suddenly burst upon her ear, in spite of a 
handful of trumps.” 

u And what might that chorus have been ?” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour; u ‘ Blessed he the hand V But, joking apart, you ap¬ 
pear to have satisfied your mind upon a point which all the 
learning of Europe has left in a state of doubt and perplexity.” 

“ I have merely delivered an opinion, sir; you perhaps will 
favor us with your judgment.” 

“ The subject under discussion, my good sir, is one upon 
which no person can ever deliver a judgment, for this plain 
reason, that it is not possible for us to hear both sides.” 

“ Psha! will you never cease to sully the pure stream of 
inquiry with verbal quibbles ?” 

“Well, then, to be serious; I agree with Miss Villers, that 
ancient music, whatever might have been its powers, was 
greatly indebted to the poetry which accompanied it for its 
influence over the feelings of mankind. It could not have 
been otherwise. The ancient instruments, as represented in 
sculpture, appear so simple as to be apparently incapable of 
producing great effects; and, indeed, among the writings of 
Aristoxenus, the oldest musical author, we cannot discover a 
trace of melody or harmony, such as we understand by air 
accompanied with different parts.” 

“ To that very simplicity, sir, am I disposed to refer the 
charm of ancient music,” said the vicar; “it was addressed 
to the ear , sir, whereas modern music is addressed to the 
eye ; dexterity of execution is, now-a-days, more valued than 
beauty of composition; the sweetest shepherd that ever piped 
on his Doric reed would be less applauded than he who can 
make his pipe squeak for the space of five minutes without 
respiration. The ancients knew better than to suffer the 
energy and accentuation of their rhythm to be so destroyed; 

25* 



294 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


and only mark, sir, tlie extreme jealousy with which they 
regarded every attempt to injure this simplicity; it even be¬ 
came a subject of legislation; and Timotheus was actually 
banished from. Sparta for having increased the number of the 
strings in his lyre.” 

“And now, my dear vicar, have you done? Have you 
said all you think necessary in defense of ancient music ? If 
so, hear me, as the advocate of modern harmony. In the 
first place, there is not an anecdote which can be adduced in 
support of your side of the question, that may not be met 
with one parallel, and equally strong, in defense of mine. 
You cite the authority of Plato, to show that the constitution 
of a state may be affected by changing its national music. 
What said the great Lord Chatham ?—‘ Give me the making 
of the national ballads , and I care not who makes the laws 
and the effects produced on the English people by Dibdin’s 
songs fully justified the maxim; and it has been said, and I 
believe truly, that Monk Lewis’s nautical ballads produced a 
degree of enthusiasm that did more toward manning the Brit¬ 
ish fleet with gallant tars, than all the despotic exertions of 
the pressgang; but remember, Mr. Twaddleton, it was not 
the music , but the poetry of those songs, which kindled the 
patriotic feelings which saved our country; and I apprehend 
that this has been the case in all ages, where the power of 
music has been said to excite the feelings of the populace. 
We know that the ancient bards of our own country called 
forth the emotions of their hearers by the poetry of their 
songs; and, with what success they practiced their calling, 
we may imagine from the fact that Edward I., in his conquest 
of Wales, had recourse to the barbarous expedient of murder¬ 
ing all the bards, from the many obstacles they threw in his 
way, by the strong hold which they had over the minds of 
the people. You have told us a story of Timotheus, and the 
influence of his harp over a drunken monarch. If this is ad¬ 
duced in proof of the power of ancient music, you must, at 
least, admit that modern times have also had a Timotheus, 
who could excite or calm, at his pleasure, the most impetuous 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


295 


emotions. Henry III., king of France, says 1 Le Journal cle 
S<*ncyJ having given a concert on occasion of the marriage 
of the Duke de Joyeuse, Claudin le Jeune, a celebrated musi¬ 
cian of that period, executed certain airs, which had such an 
effect on a young nobleman, that he drew his sword, and 
challenged every one near him to combat; but Claudin, 
equally prudent as Timotheus, instantly changed to an air 
which appeased the furious youth. But what shall we say 
of Stradella, the celebrated composer, whose music made the 
daggers drop from the hands of his assassins ? Stradella was 
attacked by three desperadoes, who had been hired to assas¬ 
sinate him ; but, fortunately, they had an ear sensible to har¬ 
mony. While waiting for a favorable opportunity to execute 
their purpose, they entered the church of St. John de Late- 
ran, during the performance of an oratorio, composed by the 
person whom they intended to destroy, and were so affected 
by the music, that they abandoned their design, and even 
waited on the musician to apprise him of his danger. Stra¬ 
della, however, was not always so fortunate; other assassins, 
who apparently had no ear for music, stabbed him some time 
afterward at Genoa.” 

“ And thus afforded a practical illustration of that beautiful 
passage in Shakspeare,” observed Miss Villers: 

11 ‘ The man that hath no music in himself, 

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, 

Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils ; 

The motions of his spirit are dull as night. 

And his affections dark as Erebus : 

Let no such man be trusted.’ ” 

“ Are you satisfied?” asked Mr. Seymour; “ if not, I will 
proceed to tell you how Palma, a Neapolitan, induced a credi¬ 
tor who came to arrest him, not only to remit his debt, but 
to contribute a sum for his support.” 

“ Enough, enough!” exclaimed the vicar; “I see your ob¬ 
ject is to exalt modern, at the expense of ancient music.” 

“ In that you wrong me. I certainly do not believe that the 



296 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


ancients were better skilled than ourselves in music; and I 
have been anxious to convince you that there are as many 
modern as ancient stories in proof of the influence of harmony 
over our feelings; but no one will deny that music is capable 
of producing extraordinary effects. Let us only interrogate 
ourselves, and examine what have been our sensations on 
hearing a majestic or warlike piece of music, or a tender and 
pathetic air, sung or played with expression. Who does not 
feel that the latter tends as much to melt the soul and dispose 
it to pleasure, as the former to animate and exalt it ? There 
is a celebrated air in Switzerland, which, I have no doubt, 
Miss Villers will presently play to us, called 4 Ram des Vaches' 
and which had such an extraordinary effect' on the Swiss 
troops in the French service, that they always fell into 
a deep melancholy whenever they heard it. Louis XIV., 
therefore, forbade it ever to be played in France under the 
pain of a severe penalty. We are also told of a Scotch air, 
4 Lochaber no more' which had a similar effect on the natives 
of Scotland. Never shall I forget the effect produced upon 
myself by the impressive requiem of Jomelli, as performed at 
the chapel of the Portuguese embassy to the memory of the 
late king of Portugal. The movement with which it com¬ 
menced was a deep and hollow murmur, that seemed to swell 
from the tomb, and with which the voices of spirits imper¬ 
ceptibly rose and intermingled;—a brilliant movement inter¬ 
posed,—it was a ray of hope that pierced the gloom of the 
sepulchre!” 

44 I think,” said Miss Villers, “that I can exactly appreciate 
the nature and extent of Mr. Seymour’s opinion upon the 
question at issue. He does not deny the charm which the 
simple music of the ancients must have exercised over the 
hearer, although he attributes much of the effect to the po¬ 
etry, of which it may certainly be said to have been the vehi¬ 
cle : and remember, that it is not easy to dissever the associ¬ 
ations existing between certain airs and their accompanying 
poetry; therein, I suspect, we are to look for the solution of 
our problem. According to Homer, the fascinating strains 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


297 


even of the Sirens were not solely indebted to music for their 
powers ; their songs were the repositories of historical know¬ 
ledge.”* 

“ Very likely,” said the vicar; “ hut I still agree with 
Jacob Bryant, that nothing can show more fully the power 
of ancient harmony than the character given of the Sirens; 
their cruelty the ancients held in detestation, and yet they 
always speak feelingly of their music.” 

“At all events,” said Miss Yillers, in a tone of conciliation, 
“ I do most perfectly agree with you in believing that the in¬ 
tricate combinations of modern harmony, by exciting our 
astonishment at the execution of the artist, very frequently 
overcome the influence of the music upon our passions.” 

“ I thank you for that concession,” said the vicar. 

Miss Yillers then proposed to demonstrate the forcible and 
expressive language of modern music by an experiment. 
“ Allow me to inquire,” said she, “ whether any of the party 
are acquainted with a game which has been justly entitled to 
the appellation of The Magic of Mtjsio ?” 

“ Never,” replied the vicar; “ nor can I imagine either the 
nature or objects of such a game.” 

“ Its object is to display the power of music as an expres¬ 
sive language; the manner in which I propose to exemplify 
it, I will, with your permission, explain in a few words. The 
musical performer shall place herself at the harp, or piano¬ 
forte, surrounded by the party who are desirous of witnessing 
the pastime; the person to be operated upon must retire 
from the apartment, until the service which, under the direc¬ 
tion of the music, it is determined he shall perform, is duly 
agreed upon and arranged. Such person is then to be read¬ 
mitted ; not a word, look, or gesture is to escape from any 
one present; by the expression erf the music alone is he to re¬ 
ceive his instructions, and, unless I am much deceived, you 
will find that this is amply sufficient for the purpose. ’ 

* Oh stay, and listen to us; we’ll unfold 
All that time treasures , and the world contains 
So sung the alluring Sirens, pouring forth 
A most melodious strain.— Odyss. 



298 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ My dear madam, the thing is utterly impossible,” ex¬ 
claimed the vicar; “ it cannot he done; unless, indeed, you 
really possess the secret of the ancient ‘ modes ,’ which were 
not even known to Meibomius, the learned commentator 
upon the Greek musician Alypius: nay, Isaac Vossius him¬ 
self, the expounder of rhythm, were he now alive, would 
never credit it.” 

“ Are you willing to make the experiment ?” said Miss 
Yillers; “ if so, be so kind as to leave the room for a few 
minutes.” 

The vicar accordingly prepared to depart, casting at the 
same time, upon his fair companion, a look which sufficiently 
expressed the skepticism he felt upon the occasion. 

“But you have not told me,” said he, “by what signal I 
am to return, and submit to the proposed ordeal.” 

“ The music will inform you, if you pay sufficient attention 
to its language,” replied Miss Yillers. 

The door having been carefully closed, the company were 
consulted in a whisper, as to the service they should require 
the vicar to perform. “ I should propose,” said Miss Yillers, 
“ that Mr. Twaddleton be directed to take a rose out of 
the basket of flowers on the chimney-piece, and, having 
smelled it, to carry it to the harp.” 

“ And do you propose to express all these different move¬ 
ments by the aid of music? If you succeed, there must 
be an end to the vicar’s skepticism,” observed Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. 

“ If I fail upon this occasion, it will be the first time,” said 
Miss Yillers : “ but you must all promise to be silent, and to 
maintain the most absolute command over your counte¬ 
nances.” 

Miss Yillers seated herself at the pianoforte, and played off 
an elegant and sparkling overtime, which so delighted Mrs. 
Seymour that she involuntarily exclaimed, “ If music can be 
made to speak an intelligible language, it must be under the 
guidance of Miss Yillers.” 

“Hush!” cried the performer, in a half-whisper; “I am 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


299 


now about to summon the vicar into the room, and we must 
be as silent as Carthusians.” 

She accordingly, with exquisite taste and address, introdu¬ 
ced the air of “ Open the door, Lord Gregory ,” into which she 
infused so much expression, that the vicar must have been as 
dull as Midas had he not instantly caught its meaning. Nor 
were the lady’s hopes disappointed. Mr. Twaddleton entered, 
and appeared as if anxious to address the performer; but an 
intelligible glance from Mr. Seymour recalled him to his duty, 
and hermetically sealed his lips. His intention had been, 
doubtless, to inquire whether his appearance was seasonable; 
but the question was anticipated by Miss Villers, who immedi¬ 
ately on his entrance struck up the ah* of “ See , the conquer¬ 
ing hero comes /” which at once satisfied his doubts, and 
conveyed, in language not to be misunderstood, the sanction 
of the enchantress, to whose spells he had so unreservedly 
intrusted himself. 

The vicar had been told that he was to perform certain 
acts on his readmission into the room; but, thought he, how 
am I to discover the thread which is to guide me through so 
perplexing a maze ? I can discover at this moment nothing 
but a concord of sweet sounds, that would rather dispose me 
to listen in profound repose, than to enter upon any service 
of exertion. Miss Tillers saw and guessed the nature of his 
embarrassment, and, changing the melody, struck into the 
air of “ Hearken, and I will tell thee how.' 1 '' She then, by a 
succession of well-selected chords, which were now played 
“ piano' 1 '' and now “forte” convinced the vicar that she com¬ 
manded an instrument fully capable of readily and forcibly 
expressing encouragement and repulse in all its degrees. 

“ Thus much then is certain,” mentally ejaculated the vicar, 
“that she is enabled, by the aid of music, to signify her ap¬ 
probation, or disapprobation, of any act which I may attempt 
to perform. I accordingly predicate of this said music, that 
it is, dona fide, a logical weapon ; inasmuch as it can affirm 
and deny. It, therefore, only remains for me, knowing as I 
do that I have some act to perform,to ascertain the ‘ locus' 



300 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


or ‘ ubi for the act in question, whatever it may be, must 
of necessity be done or accomplished ‘ in proprio loco' or in 
some definite part of the room.” With, this determination, 
founded, as he believed it to be, on the unerring basis of 
Aristotelian logic, he advanced toward the table; but the 
loud and discordant sound of the instrument at once con¬ 
vinced him, that, however correct his notions might be with 
reference to the u substance ,” or first “ predicament ,” they 
were evidently erroneous as to the “ accidents ” of “ time,” 
“place,” and “relation;” at least, such were the ideas that 
floated through the categorical organ of his cranium, and he 
accordingly faced about, and made a retreat toward the 
window; but the notes now became still more clamorous, 
and increased in vehemence. “ Ay, ay,” thought he, “ it is 
quite evident that I am receding from the theater of action;” 
and with this conviction he diverted his steps into a different 
direction, and, in a slow pace, tracked the path by his ear, 
with as much sagacity as a dog follows his prey by his nose. 
As he approached the fireplace, the storm of sounds gradu¬ 
ally subsided, until a peaceful murmur breathed around, which 
finally died away as the vicar placed his hand upon the chim¬ 
ney-piece. “So then it appears, after all, that I have some 
service to perform at the fireside. It is, doubtless, to sit 
down,” thought he, as he espied the elbow-chair, which, at 
that moment, appeared to his fancy as if stretching forth its 
hospitable arms to receive him; but scarcely had he answered 
the imaginary invitation of his old friend, by presenting the 
nether part of his person to its luxurious lap of down, than a 
sudden sforzato , or crash in the minor key, made him rebound 
upon his legs, as nimbly as though the cushion had been a 
bed of thorns. Miss Villers now resolved the discord, and 
dexterously dashed into an allegro movement, in which she 
introduced the air of “ How sweet are the flowers that 
grow /” 

The vicar’s face mantled with a smile, as the bouquet on 
the chimney-piece met his eye, and harmonized with the 
sounds that floated in his ear. “ It is evident,” thought he, 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


301 


that those flowers are the objects of my pursuit,”—but what 
was he to do with them ? The musician solved the question, 
by tastefully exchanging the former ah* for that of “Ash if 
yon damash rose le sweet” No sooner had these notes deliv¬ 
ered their melodious errand to the subtle ear of the vicar, 
than he instantly seized the rose, and carried it in triumph to 
his olfactory organs; at the same moment the music ceased. 
The pause, however, was but of short duration; for Miss Vil- 
lers, by resuming her labors, intimated that some further service 
was expected. Was he to return the rose? Certainly not; 
for the attempt was marked by strong disapprobation. Was 
he to take it out of the room ? The music put a decided neg¬ 
ative upon that movement; for the vicar had scarcely meas¬ 
ured half the distance of the apartment before the air of 
“ Fly not yet ” arrested his steps. By a continuation of the 
same varying style of expression, and strongly marked 
rhythm, the vicar was shortly led to affix the rose upon the 
harp. 

“Upon my word,” exclaimed the vicar, “I shall no 
longer hesitate to credit the story related in ‘ Peter Simple,’ 
of a certain lady who played so exquisitely, that, upon intro¬ 
ducing an imitation of thunder, the cream for tea became 
sour, besides three casks of beer in the cellar!” 

u Why, papa!” exclaimed Louisa, “ Miss Yillers reminds me 
of the ‘ Elfin Damsel,’ in the Danish fairy legends, wli#, when 
she struck the second chord of her golden harp, compelled 
the company to do whatever she wished.” 

In closing our account of this interesting scene, it is scarce¬ 
ly necessary to describe the delight and mirth of the juvenile 
party. It was, in truth, a very extraordinary exhibition; 
and when the reader considers that, beyond what was fur¬ 
nished by the expressive language of music, the vicar did not 
receive a single hint for his guidance, he may, perhaps, cher¬ 
ish some skepticism upon the subject; but we can assure him 
that we have repeatedly witnessed, not only a similar, but a 
still more complicated performance of the same kind, and 
with equal success (13). 


26 



302 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


The evening of the day on which this musical divertise- 
ment was performed was one of those which so frequently 
occur in August, when sultry heat is succeeded by refreshing 
coolness. Isabella Villers possessed a quick sensibility to the 
beauties of nature, and she quitted the drawing-room to enjoy, 
without interruption, that pensive quiet which maintained an 
undisputed dominion. The moon had but just risen, tipping 
the summits of the wood with silver, while it left the mass 
of foliage in deeper shadow. Never was there a fairy scene 
better calculated to awaken the emotions of the heart, or to 
kindle the energies of the imagination. The hour too was 
propitious to the indulgence of that undefined species of rev¬ 
erie which is the refinement of intellectual pleasure. Having 
traversed the winding path of the wood for some distance, 
she found herself in one of those sequestered glades we have 
formerly described. She seated herself on a rustic bench, 
tastefully formed out of an aged oak, whose venerable figure 
was bending under the hand of time, and her mind was grate¬ 
fully lulled into a pensive calm by the review of past events, 
as the ear is soothed by the murmur of wild and distant mu¬ 
sic. A sudden breath of wind, as it swept the foliage, aroused 
her from her reverie, and turned the current pf her ideas 
from past scenes to future prospects. The moon, as if in 
sympathy, suddenly peered through the sylvan avenue, and 
threw Her rays upon one of those statues which we have al¬ 
ready described as giving such an air of classic sanctity to 
these secluded glades. It was the figure of Time, which in 
the gloom of the wood had hitherto escaped her observation. 
To a mind of exuberant fancy, a leaf cannot fall to the ground, 
nor a zephyr waft the fragrance of the violet on its dewy 
pinions, without conveying some beautiful emblem of morality. 
Isabella rose from her seat, and approached the figure, whose 
hoary countenance appeared as if lighted up into a placid 
smile by the beams of the moon, which fell directly upon it; 
her eye glanced from his face to his scythe; its blade was 
hidden in a cluster of roses. “ Were I susceptible of a super¬ 
stitious impression,” thought Isabella, “ did ever a circum- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


303 


stance present itself better calculated to justify its indul¬ 
gence?” On the pedestal of the figure was a basso-relievo, 
in which Time appeared in the act of shivering into pieces 
the club of Hercules with a crutch. In a few minutes she 
quitted the scene, which in spite of her better reason, she 
could not wholly divest of its prophetic influence, and pro¬ 
ceeding along the winding path, at length descended into the 
valley. The moon was at this time shrouded in dark clouds; 
and although, by a painful effort, Isabella Yillers summoned 
all the powers of her vision, the objects around her remained 
invisible, until the eye had so far accommodated itself to the 
gloom as to recognize the white foam of the waterfall. The 
moon now gave a coy and furtive glance, the water for an 
instant sparkled in her beams, and then was lost in deeper 
shadow. A specter of human form, but of gigantic stature, 
arose from the spot to which the eyes of Isabella had been di¬ 
rected. Was it the spirit of the Fountain? It appeared to 
advance, but, the moon once again shining forth in splendor, 
it vanished; 

.... “and what seem’d corporal melted 

As breath into the wind.” 

The courage of Isabella was destined to sustain another 
trial, for scarcely had the vision disappeared when she dis¬ 
tinctly heard her own name pronounced; and since, from the 
direction of the sound, she well knew that the spot from 
whence it issued was inaccessible, we ought not to feel sur¬ 
prised at her having at the instant referred it to a supernatu¬ 
ral origin—it was, however, but the illusion of the moment, 
and she determined to return to the house and submit the 
events of the evening to the judgment of Mr. Seymour. 

We shall not trespass any longer upon the patience of the 
reader, than to assure him that Miss Yillers, having arrived 
in safety at the Lodge, very shortly afterward retired to rest. 
With your permission, gentle reader, we will follow her exam¬ 
ple; for, to say the truth, our lamp—that midnight sun which 
illumines the path of the author—is dimmed by the dark 



304 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


clouds that lower at its setting; our Pegasus, the pen, which 
has raced for so many hours over the snowy plains of fools¬ 
cap, is fairly “ done up,” and refuses any longer to sip of that 
spring which can alone sustain its powers, and impart utility 
to its movements. 


Ecce! 



r 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


305 


CHAPTER XIX. 

ORIGIN OF THE CRESCENT AS THE TURKISH ENSIGN.-APPARITIONS DIS 

PEELED, AND MYSTERIES SOLVED BY PHILOSOPHY.-FAIRY-RINGS.- 

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CLASSED UNDER THREE DIVISIONS.-MIXED 

INSTRUMENTS.-THEORY OF WIND INSTRUMENTS.-THE JEW’S-HARP. 

-THE STATUE OF MEMNON.-AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.—THE 

FLUTE.-THE WHIZ-GIG, ETC.-ECHOES.-THE MYTH OF NARCISSUS. 


On entering the library on the following morning, Mr. 
Seymour informed Miss Villers that Major Snapwell had 
taken his departure in order to breakfast with the vicar, and 
that he had invited Tom and Louisa to accompany him, for 
the sake of inspecting the cabinet of medals; but he added 
that he expected the return of the party at two o’clock, when 
he proposed to give them a lecture upon the philosophy of 
the several toys which are indebted for their action to at¬ 
mospheric vibrations. 

u Suppose, then,” said Miss Villers, “ that we walk toward 
Forest Lane, and meet them on their return. This arrange¬ 
ment,” she added, “ will afford me an opportunity of commu¬ 
nicating to you the history of some adventures I encountered 
last evening, and of taking your opinion upon them.” 

“ You well know,” answered Mr. Seymour, “ that you 
may always command my services. But you have really 
raised my curiosity: what can be the nature of the adven¬ 
tures you speak of?” 

Miss Villers then entered into a particular account of all 
she saw and heard the preceding evening; with which the 
reader is already acquainted. Mr. Seymour, however, sug¬ 
gested the propriety of abstaining from any discussion upon 
the subject until the children were present to hear it; for, 

26 * 




306 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


said he, “ I am most desirous that they should be familiar¬ 
ized with those natural sources of illusion which enlighten 
the wise, while they minister to the superstitious fears of the 
ignorant.” 

They had not reached the entrance of Forest Lane, before 
they perceived the vicar with Tom and Louisa, followed by 
the major. 

“ Papa,” cried Tom, as he ran to meet his father, “ we 
have had a most delightful morning; among other things, 
do you know we have found out the meaning of the crescent, 
which the Turks always wear and use as their ensign ?” 

“Indeed! well, then, let me hear your explanation,” said 
his father. 

Major Snap well and the vicar had by this time joined the 
party, and with their assistance Tom was enabled to offer the 
following account of it. The crescent appears on the early 
coins of Byzantium, and was intended to commemorate the 
defeat of Philip of Macedon, who, as he was about to storm 
it on a cloudy night, was discovered by the sudden light of 
the moon. When the Turks entered Constantinople, they 
found this ancient badge in various parts of the city, and, 
suspecting that it might possess some magical power, they 
assumed the symbol and its power to themselves; so that 
the crescent became, and still continues to be, the chief Turk¬ 
ish ensign. 

“Well, I must own that you have given me a new and 
very curious piece of historical information, and I thank you 
for it,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Medals, then, are occasionally of some little use,” remark¬ 
ed the vicar, with a sarcastic smile; for, if the truth must 
be told, the reverend antiquary had been a little nettled as 
usual by the freedom with which Major Snapwell had criti¬ 
cised some of his rarities: but let that pass. 

As soon as the party reassembled after the excursion of 
the morning, the circumstances which so greatly astonished 
Miss Yillers on the preceding evening were again related by 
her. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


307 


“ My dear young lady,” observed Mr. Seymour, “ I never 
heard a better story for illustrating the illusions to which 
the senses are exposed; and if you will read the second let¬ 
ter on 4 Natural Magic,’ by Sir David Brewster, you will ob¬ 
tain a ready explanation of your vision: but let us examine 
it philosophically. In the first place, you acknowledge that 
your imagination had been previously excited during your 
ramble through the wood, and more especially by your rev¬ 
erie at the statue of Time; now it is well known that such a 
condition of the mind prepares and adapts the organs of 
vision for those illusions which I am about to explain. You 
have told us that, on your descent into the valley, the moon 
had withdrawn its light, and several minutes had elapsed 
before an object became visible, and that was the white foam 
of the waterfall.” 

“ If I rightly remember, Brewster has stated that the spec¬ 
ters that are conjured up by the imagination are always 
white , because no color can be seen at night,” observed Mrs. 
Seymour. 

“ Undoubtedly,” replied her husband; “ and as these spec¬ 
ters are formed out of objects whose different parts reflect 
different degrees of light, their fainter parts will appear and 
disappear with the ever-varying degree of illumination which 
is occasioned by the moon shining through a veil of clouds, 
and a change even of shape will be thus produced which will 
impart to the object in question the semblance of a living 
form. The actual state of the eye itself will also greatly as¬ 
sist in completing such an illusion; for, in consequence of the 
small degree of light, the pupil expands to nearly the whole 
width of the iris, in order to collect every ray, and in such 
a condition it cannot accommodate itself to see near objects 
distinctly; so that the form of a body actually becomes more 
shadowy and confused when it comes within the very dis¬ 
tance at which we count upon obtaining the best view of it.” 

“ You have certainly explained the reason why bodies seen 
under a faint illumination may appear distorted and carica¬ 
tured; indeed, I now remember that Sir Walter Scott, in his 



308 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


‘Pirate,’ has given ns a very good illustration: for Cleveland, 
when abandoned on Coffin-bay, is said to have seen many a 
dim and undefined specter in the misty dawn. But I am still 
at a loss to understand how the vision I witnessed in the val¬ 
ley could have been conjured up,” said Miss Villers. 

“ It was the doubtful and flickering light of the clouded 
moon upon the mass of white sandstone, or, in the words of 
Milton, that of 4 a sable cloud that turned forth her silver lin¬ 
ing on the night,’ ” said Mr. Seymour. “ It is a great law of 
the imagination, that a likeness in 'part tends to become a 
likeness of the whole. The sandstone presented, in the first 
instance, a form somewhat resembling the human figure, or 
some part of it, when your active imagination immediately 
completed the outline; just in the same way as we trace im¬ 
ages in the fire, or castles in the clouds, or grotesque figures 
of men and animals on damp walls.” (14.) 

“ I am satisfied,” said Miss Villers, “ and I thank you, and 
Sir David Brewster, for the lecture; and now,” continued the 
lady, “ how will you explain the circumstance of my name hav¬ 
ing been so audibly pronounced, and from a spot which made 
it impossible that it should have come from any human being ?” 

“ It was the solitary spirit of the dell,” said Mr. Seymour, 
with a smile; “ a rural spirit who is disposed to become very 
loquacious whenever the repose of her habitation is disturbed. 
I can assure you,” added he, “ that you are not the first per¬ 
son whom her gambols have surprised and terrified in the 
shades of evening. I presume you have discovered that I 
allude to that unseen musician of the air— Echo.” 

“ Indeed, Mr. Seymour, the sound could not have been 
the effect of an echo, for I never spoke,” replied Miss Vil¬ 
lers. 

“Very likely, but I happen to know that Mrs. Seymour 
called you by name at the orchard gate.” 

“ Mor will that explain it,” observed Miss Villers; “for in 
that case I must certainly have heard her; whereas the sound 
came in a very different direction, from the inaccessible rocks 
of sandstone.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


309 


“Young lady, 1 ’ said Mr. Seymour, “you must forgive me 
for telling you that your philosophy is at fault. It is as pos¬ 
sible to hear an echo without recognizing the direct sound 
which produced it, as it is for two persons to he so placed as 
to see each other in a looking-glass, although objects might 
obstruct the direct view of themselves* Did you never walk 
between an irregular wall and a row of houses, or along a 
valley intercepted by houses, during the ringing of a peal of 
bells? Nothing is more common, under such circumstances, 
than for the sound, instead of arriving at the ear in its true 
direction, to be reflected in one that is opposite to it. Now 
before we quit the subject of optical illusion, let me relate an 
incident which occurred to myself. I presume you are all 
acquainted with the appearance in the grass, called a Fairy- 
ring 

“ To he sure,” said Tom, “ a very dark circle of grass, 
around which there is generally a ring that looks as if the 
ground had been burnt.” 

“ Very well,—and we are now satisfied that this appearance 
is the consequence of the growth and decay of certain fungi, 
although the common people still believe that the ring is 
produced by the gambols of fairies. Now then for my 
story. It was on a moonlight night last August, when stroll¬ 
ing along a neighboring meadow, enjoying the beauties of the 
evening, that I met a young farmer, an intelligent -person, 
although a little inclined to a belief in the marvelous, who, 
on approaching with a hasty step, thus accosted me:—‘ You 
have often ridiculed my belief in fairies, and of their being the 
cause of those rings which go by their name; you may now, 
if you please, satisfy yourself of their reality, if you will only 
return with me to the elm-close, which, as you know, abounds 
with fairy-rings. Within the last few minutes I have actually 
see them at their gambols under the great elm; they are, sir, 
tiny beings, which, as far as I could judge at a distance, can¬ 
not be more than a few inches in height; but there they are, 
frisking away most merrily to tinkling music. Pray, sir, do 

* See page 3J7. 



310 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


let us return, and satisfy yourself as well as me.’—You may 
readily suppose that I lost no time in complying with my 
friend’s request; and sure enough there they were.” 

“ What, the fairies!” exclaimed Louisa, in astonishment. 

“ Have patience, my dear, and you shall hear. I confess,” 
continued Mr. Seymour, “ that, at the first glance, I was al¬ 
most startled into a belief in the reality of my friend’s asser¬ 
tion; hut, on approaching, the Fairy Queen and her court 
were changed into a circle of fungi, to which the shadowy 
play of the leaves of the neighboring tree had, in the light of 
the moon, given the appearance of a fantastic motion, while 
their waving and rustling sounds mimicked wild music. The 
illusion, I will admit, was well calculated to impose upon the 
credulous countryman.” 

“ So, then 1” exclaimed the vicar, whimsically quoting the 
words of Falstaff, “ ‘ these were not fairies. I was three or 
four times in the thought they were not fairies.’ ”* 

The young party were much amused by this anecdote, and 
the vicar took the opportunity to explain, on natural princi¬ 
ples, several superstitious appearances recorded in ancient 
legends. 

Mr. Seymour now proposed to dedicate an hour to the ex¬ 
planation of the several toys which owe their action to 
atmospheric vibration; “ I shall then,” said he, addressing 
Miss Villers, “ be at your service to interrogate the spirit of 
the valley; and the children, whom I intend to accompany 
us, will he thus better prepared to comprehend the theory of 
the echo.” 

“ Musical instruments, among which I include the toys to 
which I have alluded, may be classed under three heads:— 
stringed instruments, such as the harp, violin, &c.; wind 
instruments, as the flute and trumpet; and instruments of 
‘percussion , as the tabor and drum.” 

“And which kind do you consider the most ancient?” 
asked Miss Villers. 

“ Wind instruments, maddm, most unquestionably,” cried 

* Merry Wives of Windsor. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


311 


Mr. Twaddleton. “ Diodorus ascribed their intention to the 
accidental notice of the- whistling of the wind in the reeds on 
the banks of the Nile; and the poet Lucretius maintained a 
similar opinion.” 

“ I really, my dear sir, cannot see any good reason for giv¬ 
ing this preference, in point of antiquity, to wind instruments,” 
said Mr. Seymour. “ The lyre, or harp, is, surely, as ancient 
as any instrument on record. The mythologist ascribes 
the idea of producing sound by the vibration of a string to 
Apollo ; which is said by Censorinus to have suggested itself 
to him, on his hearing the twang of the bow of his sister 
Diana. With respect to instruments of percussion, it may be 
reasonably supposed that the sonorous ringing of hollow 
bodies, when struck, must have very soon suggested their 
invention to mankind; but I really consider any research into 
a question of such obscurity as uninteresting as it must be 
hopeless; let us rather devote our attention to the philosophy 
of these instruments. I have stated that they may be re¬ 
ferred to three principal classes; but I must at the same time 
observe that, in some cases, the vibrations of solid bodies are 
made to co-operate with those of a given portion of air; for 
example, trumpets and various horns may be said to be 
mixed wind instruments, since their sound is produced by the 
joint vibrations of the air and a solid body; and in certain 
stringed instruments, as in the violin, the immediate effect of 
the strings is increased by means of a sounding-board, which 
appears to be agitated by their motion, and to act more pow¬ 
erfully on the air than the strings could have done alone.” 

“ I apprehend that this mixture must obtain more or less 
in all instruments,” said the vicar. 

“ Not at all. The flute, flageolet, humming-top, and the 
cavity of the moutli in whistling, may be considered as sim¬ 
ple wind instruments, in which the quality of the sound is 
alone determined by the vibrations of the air. I have already 
explained the manner in which the oscillations of a string 
excite aerial undulations, and thus produce sound; and you 
have seen that the nature of these sounds is determined by 



312 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


the length and thickness of snch strings : the theory equally 
applies to wind instruments, in which case a column of air 
corresponds with the string, the volume and length of which 
determine the sound. In the harp, the strings are constructed 
of different lengths and dimensions; and so, in the Syrinx , or 
Pan's pipes, is the volume of air adjusted to the respective 
notes by the size and length of the reeds; but, in the violin, 
the lengths of the strings are altered at pleasure by pressing 
them down on the finger-board; and, in like manner, the 
effective length of the flute is changed by the opening or shut¬ 
ting the holes made at proper distances in them; the opening 
of a hole at any part being the same in effect as if the pipe 
were cut off a little beyond it.” 

Mr. Seymour and the vicar then entered into a long dis¬ 
cussion, with which it is not our intention to swell our his¬ 
tory, or to exhaust the patience of the reader; we shall, how¬ 
ever, with his permission, collect from the mass some of the 
more interesting facts, and present them in as condensed a 
form as may be consistent with perspicuity. In speaking of 
the Jew's-harp, a little instrument with which every school¬ 
boy is well acquainted, the vicar stated that its origin was 
lost in the long lapse of time; but that it was in very com¬ 
mon use throughout Europe, and more especially in the Neth¬ 
erlands and the Tyrol, where it was the delight of the peas¬ 
ants and their families. He also said that it was known in 
Asia, and that the Greeks of Smyrna called it, in imitation of 
its sound, biambo. The name by which it is now known, he 
observed, was evidently derived from the Jews, who were 
formerly the great venders of it, and of other toys through¬ 
out Europe, although he stated that his friend Mr. Prybabel 
was of opinion that it was a corruption of yaw's harp. Mr. 
Seymour described its construction, and the theory of its 
action. It is composed of two parts, the body and the tongue: 
the former has some resemblance to the handle of a certain 
kind of corkscrew; the latter consists of a little strip of steel, 
joined to the upper part of the body, and bent at its extremity, 
so that the fingers may touch it more readily. This tongue^ 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


313 


or elastic plate, produces in itself, only a sound which serves 
as a drone, although it ap¬ 
pears to act like the motion 
of the bow of a violin in 
exciting other sounds, by 
breaking the current of air 
from the mouth, the acute¬ 
ness or gravity of which 
will be determined by the 
pressure of the lips, and the 
magnitude of the cavity of the mouth. To understand, how¬ 
ever, this part of its operation, it is necessary that the reader 
should become acquainted with the nature and effects of what 
have been termed Resonances , and Reciprocated Vibrations 
of Columns of Air. This property of sounding bodies, 
which to the ignorant must appear as an inexplicable species 
of sympathy, will be more fully explained in a note (15); at 
present we shall merely give one or two examples of its 
effects. A singer has been known to break into pieces a large 
tumbler-glass by the power of his voice; and a violin sus¬ 
pended against a wall may be heard to yield the same notes 
as those produced by a performer on a similar instrument in 
the same room. To produce such an effect, however, one 
condition is indispensable, that the body to be put in vibra¬ 
tion must be in unison, or agreeing in pitch, with the one com¬ 
municating the sound. Hence the necessity of so adapting 
the capacity of the mouth, in playing the Jew’s-harp, as to 
make the column of air which it contains to reciprocate the 
sound of its tongue. The subject was agreeably concluded 
by some anecdotes which were related by Miss Tillers, in 
proof of the astonishing powers of this little instrument when 
directed by the skill of a master. For the sake of those who 
may be curious upon this subject, we have introduced an ac¬ 
count of two great performers, in an additional note (16). In 
speaking of the flute, Mr. Twaddleton took occasion to ob¬ 
serve that its name was derived from fluta* a lamprey, or 
* “ Mur sense optimse flutse sunt in Sicilia.”— Varr, It. E. ii. 6. 2. 1 

27 






314 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


small Sicilian eel, which has seven holes on each side; an ety¬ 
mology which will probably be as new to our readers as it 
was t6 ourselves. The children also received their share of 
instruction and amusement upon this occasion. Tom, for the 
first time, became acquainted with the use of the pea in the 
whistle, which, he was told, was to agitate and break the 
current of air, and thus to produce a succession of quick vi¬ 
brations, upon which the acuteness of its sound depended. 
Louisa exhibited her whiz-gig , which, for the information of 
the unlearned reader, we may state to consist of a hollow 
disk-of wood, having an opening in its side, like that in the 
humming-top : by the alternate coiling and uncoiling of the 
cord upon which it is strung it receives a circular motion, the 
rapidity of which produces, by means of its opening, an 
aerial vibration that gives a loud ringing sound. 

“ I should very much like to hear your opinion of that 
Egyptian wonder, the statue of Memnon,” said the vicar. 

“Its history,”answered Mr. Seymour, “is involved in con¬ 
siderable doubt and difficulty. Authors of credit agree in 
stating that it certainly saluted the rising sun with a musical 
sound; but doubts are still entertained as to the cause which 
produced it, whether it was the effect of mechanism, or a jug¬ 
gle of the Egyptian priests. An English traveler, Sir A. 
Smith, informs us that he visited the statue, and actually 
heard the sounds at six o’clock in the morning; but he be¬ 
lieves that they proceeded, not from the figure, but from tho 
pedestal, and he considers that they may arise from the im¬ 
pulse of the air upon the stones of which it is constructed. 
Others have supposed that the heat of the sun’s rays, concen¬ 
trated by a mirror, may have acted upon plates of metal so 
as to produce the effect. It is not my intention to argue this 
point; but I will show you an experiment, by which you will, 
I think, be convinced that a statue might easily be construct¬ 
ed like the Memnon to yield musical sounds by the applica¬ 
tion of heat, whether derived from the solar rays, or from 
any other source.” 

Mr. Seymour produced a piece of apparatus, of which we 



MADE SCIENCE IN EAENEST. 


315 


here present the reader with a sketch. It consists of an ob¬ 
long block of copper, one surface of which is flat, the other 
formed by two planes meeting at an obtuse angle, and having 
a groove at the point of junction a. To this block a handle 
is affixed. 




Mr. Seymour, having thus described the form of the instru¬ 


ment, and stated that its construction was solely directed 
with a view of making it oscillate freely on any plane surface, 
thrust the block in the fire, and, when sufficiently heated, 
placed it on its angular surface, upon a flat piece of lead. It 
immediately began to vibrate, producing, at first, a kind of 
singing noise, not unlike that of the simmering of a tea-ket¬ 
tle, but the vibrations became more and more rapid until a 
distinct musical sound was produced, which from time to 
time varied in its pitch, and gave rise to an effect scarcely in¬ 
ferior to that of the Eolian harp. 

“How extremely beautiful!” said Miss Villers. 

“ And how admirably does it illustrate the theory of music¬ 
al sounds 1” observed Mr. Seymour. “We have here, you 
perceive, a series of impulses communicated to our ears by 
the air, at first in slow succession, and by degrees more and 
more rapidly; at first we hear a rattling noise, then a low 
murmur, and then a hum, which by degrees acquires the 
character of a musical note, rising higher and higher in acute¬ 
ness. It is evident, therefore, from tins experiment alone, by 
showing the correspondence which exists between the pitch 
of the note and the rapidity of the succession of the vibra¬ 
tions, that our sensation of the different pitches of musical 
notes originates in the different rapidities with which them 
impulses are communicated to our ears.” 

“Pray explain to us the manner in which the block of 
metal is thus made to vibrate,” said Miss Villers. 

“ It depends,” replied Mr. Seymour, “ upon the alternate 
contraction of the two opposite edges of the metal from the 









316 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


loss of heat; one of the edges coming in contact with the 
cold lead contracts, and, by destroying the balance of the 
block, causes its opposite edge to come into contact with the 
lead, and to undergo the same change; and it is by this alter¬ 
nate action that a rapid vibration is produced, occasioning, 
as you will now readily understand, the musical sounds you 
have just heard.” 

Miss Villers here made some interesting remarks upon the 
sounds produced by flowing water. u In the fountain,” she 
said, “ musical tones are produced by vibrations occasioned 
by the drops on the jet, and reciprocated by the surface on 
which they fall.” 

The lecture having been concluded, Mrs. Seymour proposed 
that the party should at once proceed to the valley, but the 
vicar suggested the propriety of first explaining to the chil¬ 
dren the principle upon which the echo depended. 

Mr. Seymour concurred in this opinion, and immediately 
afforded the following explanation:—“ An echo is nothing 
more than a reflected sound. "When the aerial vibrations 
strike against any obstacle of sufficient magnitude, they are re¬ 
flected back to the ear, and produce a repetition of the sound, 
which will appear to proceed from the point whence they are 
reflected, so that the apparent direction of the voice becomes 
completely changed by an echo. A considerable extent of 
level wall will sometimes produce it in great perfection; for 
a smooth surface reflects sounds much better than a rough 
one : but the circumstance which, perhaps, contributes more 
than any other to the perfection of an echo, is the form of 
the reflecting surface; a convex surface is a very bad reflector 
of sound, a flat one reflects very well, but a small degree of 
concavity is the form best adapted to the purpose.” 

“I believe,” observed the vicar, “that fluid bodies will 
also, under certain circumstances, so reflect sound as to pro¬ 
duce echoes.” 

“ Undoubtedly. The surface of water, especially at the bot¬ 
tom of a well, and sometimes even clouds, will produce this 
effect, as, during a tempest, the continued rolling of the 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


317 


thunder is nothing hut the reverberation of a single discharge 
bandied about from cloud to cloud.” 

“Do yon mean to say, papa,” asked Tom; “that sound is 
reflected from an obstacle to the ear, in the same manner as 
my hall is reflected after striking the wall?” 

“ Certainly; supposing, of course, that your hall is per¬ 
fectly elastic ; and in that case, you no doubt remember the 
direction it will follow.” 

“ It will always make the angle of reflection equal to the 
angle of incidence ,”* said Tom. 

“ Undoubtedly; and so it is with sound, since air, as you 
know, is perfectly elastic. If, therefore, the vibrations fall 
perpendicularly on the obstacle, they are reflected back in the 
same line; if obliquely, the sound returns obliquely in the 
opposite direction, the angle of reflection being equal to that 
of incidence. You will, therefore, readily perceive,” con¬ 
tinued Mr. Seymour, addressing his conversation more par¬ 
ticularly to Miss Viflers, “that a person situated at an appro¬ 
priate angle may hear an echo, as it is returned from the re¬ 
flecting surface, without hearing the original sound which 
produced it. M. Genefay has described, as existing near 
Bouen, a curious oblique echo which is not heard by the per¬ 
son who emits the sound. A person who sings hears only his 
own voice, while those who listen hear only the echo.” 

“ As a smooth and concave surface is capable of producing 
an echo, how does it happen that we so rarely meet with one 
in a room ?” asked Louisa. 

“Echoes, my dear, are, in fact, produced in every room, 
by the reverberation of sound from its''walls; but on account 
of the velocity with which it travels, they are imperceptible 
in small chambers, because the sound occupies no sensible pe¬ 
riod of time in moving from the mouth to the walls, and in re¬ 
turning back to the ear again; consequently the original 
sound and its echo become so blended and incorporated, as to 
appear but one sound. As the dimensions of the apartment 

* The reader is requested to turn to page 184; for all that is there said re¬ 
specting the principle of reflected motion will apply to the theory of the echo. 

27 * 



318 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


increase, the defect will increase with it; and, in buildings 
for music or public speaking, it is often highly inconvenient, 
and difficult of prevention.* Breaking the surface, or ren¬ 
dering it uneven by mouldings and ornaments, appears to bo 
the most effectual method of curing the evil.” 

“I perceive then, papa, that in order to produce a perfect 
echo, the person who speaks must be at a considerable dis¬ 
tance from the obstacle that reflects the sound,” said Louisa. 

“ It cannot be otherwise,” replied her father; “ and if you 
will only consider the rate at which sound travels, you will 
readily understand the necessity of such an arrangement. In 
order to produce a distinct echo of one syllable, or of a sin¬ 
gle sound, the reflecting obstacle must be at least 70 fret from 
the sound, so that it may have to pass through a distance of 
70 feet to get to the reflector, and 70 more to return to the 
ear, making a total passage of 140 feet, which it will accom¬ 
plish in rather less than one-eighth of a second; a period of 
time so small, that, if it were diminished, it is evident the 
echo must be assimilated with the sound itself.” 

“But the echo in the valley,” observed Mrs. Seymour, 
“ will repeat four or five syllables.” 

“ Undoubtedly; if we make the experiment at a sufficient 
distance from the sandstone rocks which act as the reflector.” 

“ It would appear, then, that the further the reflecting 
object is off, the greater number of syllables will the echo 
repeat; and I should think that this fact might enable us to 
compute the distance of the reflector,” said Mrs. Seymour. 

“ In a moderate way of speaking, about three and a half 
syllables are pronounced in one second, or seven syllables in 
two seconds; when an echo, therefore, repeats seven sylla¬ 
bles, we may infer that the reflecting object is 1142 feet dis¬ 
tant.” 

“ But, my dear Mr. Seymour, this must surely depend 
upon the nature of the syllables,” said the vicar. “Pray 
excuse the interruption; but you will admit that there must 

* This is very remarkable in the new mineralogical lecture-room in the 
public library at Cambridge. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


319 


exist a great difference between the echo of dactyles and 
spondees. Suppose an echo should be able to return ten 
syllables; thus—‘ Tityre , tupatulce recubans 1 —I will be bound 
for it, that if you were to try its powers in slow heavy spon¬ 
dees, as monstrum horrendum , a return of not more than four 
or five syllables could be observed.” 

“I will not dispute that point,” said Mr. Seymour; “or 
take, if you will, the famous passage in the Tenth Odyssey, 
where Sisyphus rolls the stone up the mountain in spondees, 
and allows it to run down in a torrent of dactyles.” 

Louisa here remarked that she had often heard of some 
very extraordinary echoes in different parts of the world, to 
which her father had not alluded; she mentioned, for in¬ 
stance, those which are said to repeat the same sound several 
times in succession. 

“ From the explanation which I have already given of the 
nature of echoes,” said Mr. Seymour, “ it will be easily con¬ 
ceived that a vast variety of effects may be produced by va¬ 
rying the form, the shape, the distance, and the number of 
reflecting surfaces; and hence we hear of various surprising 
echoes in different places. It is not difficult, for instance, to 
understand the nature of compound, or tautological echoes; 
in which case the expression of one ha will appear like a laugh¬ 
ter. Addison mentions an extraordinary instance of this 
kind near Milan, which will return the sound of a pistol fifty- 
six times.” 

“ I have understood that the echoes on the lakes of Killar- 
ney are of this multiplied description,” said the vicar. 

“ They are particularly calculated to produce reflections of 
sound, from the height of the mountains, and the.expanse of 
water,” replied Mr. Seymour; “ which latter circumstance 
always assists the conveyance of reflected as well as direct 
sound. I believe there is a certain spot on the shore of Ross 
island, where the sound of a bugle produces an echo which 
far exceeds any other to be met with among the lakes; the 
first echo is returned from the castle, the second from the 
ruined church of Aghadoe, the third from Mangerton, and af- 



320 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


terward innumerable reverberations are distinguished, which, 
like the faded brilliancy of an extremely multiplied reflection, 
are lost by distance and repetition.” 

“ There is an admirable echo,” said the vicar, “ behind my 
old college at Cambridge; and often have I, while walking 
on the road to Chesterton, on a calm evening, distinctly 
heard twelve repetitions of the voice. Lord Bacon, if I re¬ 
member correctly, mentions an instance of sixteen, in some 
ruined church near Paris.” 

“ It was in the church of Pont-Charenton, on the Seine,” 
replied Mr. Seymour; “in which place that great philoso¬ 
pher discovered the inability of an echo to return the letter 
S ; for having pronounced the word satan , the echo replied 
va-t-en—away ; from which circumstance, the Parisians con¬ 
cluded that some guardian spirit prevented the walls of the 
sacred edifice from pronouncing the name of Satan.” 

“ And will not an echo repeat the letter S ?” asked Louisa. 

“Mot always,” answered her father; “the hissing or sibi¬ 
lant noise of the letter, when at the commencement of a 
word, is generally lost, unless the echo be extremely perfect.” 

Mr. Seymour was here reminded of an echo on the Rhine, 
near the ruins of Rheinfels, to which is usually addressed the 
question—“Who is the Mayor of Oberwesel?” the echo an¬ 
swers Esel ,*—an Ass. 

“ To be sure,” said the vicar, “ the latter syllables returned 
by the echo are those which retain possession of the ear. 
My young friends, no doubt, remember the facetious dialogue 
between Juvenis and Echo in the colloquy of Erasmus, in 
which a very humorous application is made of this circum¬ 
stance.” 

The party now set off on their excursion to the valley. 
Mr. Seymour disposed them in such situations as were best 
calculated to display the powers of the echo, and to illustrate 
the several effects which he had endeavored to explain. The 
vicar performed his experiment with dactyle3 and spondees, 

* The stand upon which the painter rests his picture is termed an Easel , 
from its carrying, like the ass, the burden on his back. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


321 


and was highly gratified to find that their results proved, in 
a most satisfactory manner, the correctness of his conjecture. 
The attention of Miss Villers was particularly directed to the 
effect of the voice of Mrs. Seymour from the orchard gate, 
and which, she said, convinced her that the sound she had 
heard on the preceding evening must have arisen from the 
cause assigned to it. 

After the party had fairly tired themselves by their con¬ 
verse with the airy and unsubstantial being, they descended 
to the sandstone rocks, which Mr. Seymour pointed out as 
the local habitation of the solitary spirit. These were duly 
examined by Louisa and Tom, and their operation as a re¬ 
flecting screen was pointed out to them by their father. 
They now returned into the geological temple; its singularly 
beautiful pillars very naturally attracted the attention of 
Miss Villers, and she expressed a wish that Mr. Seynaour 
should describe the plan of their construction: for it was 
very evident^ as she said, from the disposition of the speci¬ 
mens,' that the arrangements had been directed with some 
view to geological illustration. Mr. Seymour felt gratified 
by this request, and promised to comply with her wishes, as 
soon as he had finished the investigation of those laws by 
which the reflection of sound was governed. 

“Why, bless me!” exclaimed the vicar, “the revels of 
our airy companion are ended; and I maintain that nothing 
can be more appropriate than the consideration o£ the objects 
for which Miss Villers has expressed so much interest. In 
truth, the history of Echo is classically associated with that 
of geology: by diving into the recesses of the rock, we do 
but pursue her descent from air to earth : for you, no doubt, 
remember that after she had been deprived of her loquacity 
by Juno, she became enamored of Narcissus, pined away, 
and was transformed into stone.”* 

“ I cannot but admire the ingenuity with which you em¬ 
bellish every subject with '.classical decorations,” replied Mr. 
Seymour. “ I was about,” said he, “ to explain to my young 

* Ovid, Metamorph. iii. 358. 



322 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


pupils the principle and construction of the Whispering Gal¬ 
lery in the dome of St. Paul’s; but it will, probably, be 
more convenient that I should postpone the consideration 
of this, and some other subjects in connection with it, until 
after our return to the Lodge; I am not, however, disposed 
to pass over the fable of Echo and Narcissus, to which you 
have just alluded, without maintaining, in opposition to the 
critical disparagement of Addison, that it is one of the most 
beautiful myths of antiquity. Every stage of it appears to 
me to admit of an allegorical interpretation. Whether the 
poet was acquainted with the laws by which the reflection 
of sound and light is governed, may certainly be questioned; 
but the fable undoubtedly shadows forth a remarkable ex¬ 
ample of poetic and retributive justice. Narcissus is repre¬ 
sented as disdaining the plaintive appeal of Reflected Sound , 
and is sacrificed to the illusive charms of Reflected Light” 
The vicar expressed himself as highly gratified by so 
novel and ingenious an interpretation; and Mr. Seymour then 
proceeded to view the details of the geological temple, and the 
design of the pillars that had so agreeably excited the curi¬ 
osity of Miss Villers. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


323 


CHAPTER XX. 

THE WHISPERING GALLERY IN THE DOME OF ST. PAUL’S.—THE SPEAK¬ 
ING TRUMPET.-THE INVISIBLE GIRL, AND THE AMUSEMENT SHE 

OCCASIONED.-CHARADES.-OTHER ACOUSTIC AMUSEMENTS.-MYS¬ 
TERIOUS SOUNDS.-CREAKING SHOES. 


On their return to the Lodge, Mr. Seymour proceeded with 
the explanation of the Whispering Gallery in St. Paul’s Cathe¬ 
dral ; and, in order to render intelligible the manner in which 
sound is concentrated, and thereby magnified, in that hollow 
hemisphere, he produced a diagram, of which the annexed 
cut is a copy. 

u> 



He explained it as follows : 

“ m shows the situation of the mouth of the speaker, and 
e that of the ear of the hearer. Mow, since sound radiates 
in all directions, a part of it will proceed directly from m to 
e, while other rays of it will proceed from m to u, and from 
m to s, &c.; but the ray that impinges upon u will be reflected 
to e, while that which first touches z will be reflected to y, 
and from thence to e ; and so of all intermediate rays, which 
are omitted in the figure, to avoid confusion. It is evident, 






324 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


therefore, that the sound at e will be much stronger than if it 
had proceeded immediately from m without the assistance of 
the dome; for, in that case, the rays at z and u would have 
proceeded in straight lines, and consequently could never 
have arrived at the point e.” 

“ I have understood that a similar effect was formerly wit¬ 
nessed in the stone recesses on Westminster Bridge,” said the 
vicar. 

u That is the fact,” replied Mr. Seymour. “ The recesses 
to which you allude were semi-domes; and if a person whis¬ 
pered in the focus of one of them, he was distinctly heard by 
another stationed in the focus of the opposite one. Two inan¬ 
imate busts may be thus made to appear as if holding a con¬ 
versation, by placing them in the foci of two large concave 
mirrors constructed of pasteboard, and arranged opposite to 
each other ; when a whisper uttered to the one will seem to 
proceed from the other by the reflection of sound.” 

Mr. Seymour now removed a shell from a group of coral¬ 
lines, which decorated a part of the temple, and desired Tom 
to place it to his ear. 

“I hear a noise which appears to me to resemble that of 
the sea,” cried Tom. 

“ Ay,” said the vicar, “ and there is a popular belief that it 
is the murmur of the sea, which the shell actually sends forth, 
betraying, as it were, its marine origin.” 

“ And what produces the sound ?” inquired Louisa. 

“ The interior of the shell merely concentrates, and thus 
magnifies the sounds around us, so as to render them audi¬ 
ble : a goblet applied to the ear will be found to produce the 
same effect,” replied her father. 

u I suppose it is upon the same principle that the speaking- 
trumpet is made to convey sound to a distance,” remarked 
Louisa. 

u Since sound radiates in all directions, it follows that, if 
such radiation be prevented by confining it in tubes, it may 
be carried to a great distance with very little diminution of 
its effect; and hence the use and application of those trum- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


325 


pets, or tin speaking-pipes, which are now commonly used 
for conveying intelligence from one part of a house to another. 
The trumpet used by deaf persons acts on the same principle; 
but as the voice enters the trumpet at the,Jarge instead of the 
small end of the instrument, it is not so much confined, nor is 
the sound so much increased.” 

“ I believe,” said Mrs. Seymour, “ that the experiment ex¬ 
hibited some time since in London under the title of the 
Invisible Girl , and which excited such general curiosity, 
was discovered to depend upon an arrangement of this 
kind.” 

The vicar observed, that it was found out by his late friend 
Dr. Milner, the learned and scientific President of Queen’s 
College, Cambridge. 

“ I expected that you would allude to that exhibition,” said 
Mr. Seymour; “ and as I was anxious to provide my young 
pupils with some new amusement, as a reward for their indus¬ 
try, I have directed Tom Plank to construct the necessary 
apparatus for exhibiting and explaining the deception.” 

TJpon inquiry, Mr. Seymour found, as he had anticipated, 
that the necessary apparatus for the experiment of the u In¬ 
visible Girl” had been duly arranged, and that Tom Plank 
was in attendance to afford any assistance which might be 
further required. We shall proceed to describe all the visible 
mechanism, as it appeared to the children on entering Mr. 
Seymour’s study, and of which we here present the reader 
with a perspective sketch. 



28 










326 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


It consisted of a wooden frame, not very unlike a bedstead, 
having four upright posts, a a a a, and a cross-rail at top and 
bottom to strengthen them. The frame thus constructed 
stood upon a low table, and from the top of each of the four 
pillars sprang four bent brass wires, which converged to the 
point c. From these wires a hollow copper ball was sus¬ 
pended by ribbons, so as to cut off all possible communica¬ 
tion with the frame. The globe was supposed to contain the 
invisible being, as the voice apparently proceeded from the 
interior of it; and for this purpose it was equipped with the 
mouths of four trumpets, placed around it in a horizontal 
direction, and at right angles to each other, as shown in the 
annexed section, in which the globe is represented in the cen¬ 
ter ; d d d d are the trumpets, and 
b b b b the frame surrounding them, 
at a. distance of about half an 
inch from their mouths. Such as 
we have described was the appa¬ 
ratus, which had been construct¬ 
ed under the direction of Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, who informed the party that ^ 
if any of them would ask a ques¬ 
tion of his little fairy, and direct the voice into one of the trum¬ 
pets, an answer would immediately be returned from the ball. 

“Let me interrogate her,” exclaimed Louisa, as she ad¬ 
vanced toward the railing. “ Tell me, mysterious being, the 
name of the person who now addresses you.” 

“Miss Louisa Seymour,” answered a voice sufficiently 
audible to Louisa, and yet so distant and feeble, that it ap¬ 
peared as if coming from a very diminutive being, and thus 
heightened the deception. 

“ Now, Vicar, it is your turn,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Well, then, I will try whether I cannot puzzle your Del¬ 
phic lady;” and accordingly, applying his mouth to the trum¬ 
pet, Mr. Twaddleton demanded an interpretation of the fol¬ 
lowing charade:—“My First makes my Second , and fancies 
he is my Whole ?” 










MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


327 


“What is her answer?” anxiously inquired the party. 

“ A3 prompt as it is correct. She tells me it is Patkiot.” 

“ Let Miss Villers advance; she has so lately distinguish¬ 
ed herself by her beautiful enigma, that I have no doubt she 
will now favor us with one that will try the skill of the 
Oracle, and delight us with its composition,” said Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour. 

“ After that very pretty speech, it would be affectation on 
my part to refuse; but you really, my dear Mrs. Seymour, 
place too great a value upon my humble efforts.” Miss Vil¬ 
lers, accordingly, slowly and distinctly enunciated the follow¬ 
ing lines in the ear of the trumpet: 

“ My First's a conveyance that’s oft on the stand, 

And yet none more private careers in the land; 

Nor wheels, nor e’en horses, are for it e’er needed, 

And still by five couriers ’tis ever preceded. 

So quick has it moved that, in England on Sunday, 

It’s been found in the midst of Morocco on Monday. 
When by rough work and wearing ’tis no longer sound. 
By applying my Second a cure has been found. 

My Whole is a terror to all who may travel; 

So pray, gentle lady, this riddle unravel.” 

“ Who can make it out ?” asked Tom. 

“ Have patience for the response,” said the vicar. 

“ She tells me she requires time,” observed Miss Villers. 
“Very well: lend your ear, and let us know when the in¬ 
spiration comes upon her.” 

“ She now rings a bell to announce, I suppose, that she is 
ready with her answer. Yes; here it is:” 

“ To unravel your riddle I quickly essay’d, 

With what skill you will presently learn: 

That is, if my answer, in riddle convey’d, 

Is by you understood in its turn. 

Know, then, that your First is lively and gay, 

Though of food it never can taste, 

And still it forever is picking away, 

Except when it travels in haste. 



328 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


All wet is its horror, so tender its frame, 

And yet at a spring it will jump, 

But what must appear a strange part of its game, 

To keep dry it will fly to a pump ! 

When tender or tired, how refresh’d by green grass! 

As it wanders through meadow or lawn, 

Yet it is not a horse, a cow, or an ass, 

Bor it hates ev’ry species of corn. 

Of your Second, my friend, I’ve a story in store, 

That perhaps may give you a shock, 

For I found it attach’d to Newgate’s dark door 
The moment I wrench’d off its lock. 

In the cell thus exposed I most anxiously look’d, 

And saw, with the eye of a mole, 

A wretch there immured, and for punishment book’d, 

And in him I discover’d your Whole.” 

“Now, then, who is prepared to interpret the Sibyl’s an¬ 
swer ?” asked the vicar. 

“ I believe I can guess its meaning,” answered Mr. Seymour. 
And well he might, for he had concocted the whole affair in 
concert with Miss Yillers. 

After much questioning and puzzling, as usually happens 
upon such occasions, Mrs. Seymour declared the mysterious 
word to be Footpad ; and she was right, and the rest of the 
party concurred in that decision; although there was one 
point that Tom did not comprehend, and that was how the 
Second could be “ found on Newgate’s dark door.” 

“ Why, my dear,” said the yicar, “ even dull as I usually 
am upon these occasions, I very readily solved that mystery. 
Did he not find a Padlock, upon ‘ Newgate's dark door ?' and 
by taking off the lock, leave his 4 second,’ Pad ?” 

The charade having been thus explained to the satisfaction 
of the whole party, the next question which engaged their 
attention was the construction of the apparatus, by which 
the voice was so mysteriously conveyed to the ear. 

Tom examined the ball, the trumpets, and the framework; 
but ho was unable to discover any clew by which he could 
unravel the mystery. At length Mr. Seymour proceeded to 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


329 


the explanation. He told them that the mechanism owed its 
effects to the combined operation of two principles with which 
they were already acquainted; the concentration and con¬ 
veyance of sound by means of a speaking-pipe, and its reflec¬ 
tion from an appropriate surface so as to change its apparent 
direction, by producing an artificial echo. He then showed 
them the pipe which was concealed in one of the legs of the 
frame, and explained in what manner the voice of Tom Plank, 
who had been stationed in an adjoining room, was conveyed 
to the mouth of the trumpet, and thence reflected to the ear 
of the observer. By means of the annexed section, we shall 
hope to render this subject as intelligible to our readers, as 
did Mr. Seymour to his little pupils. 



b b represent two of the legs of the frame, one of which, as 
well as half the rail, is made into a tube, the end of which 
opens immediately opposite to the center of the trumpet. 
This hole is very small, and concealed by moldings; the 
other end communicates by a tin pipe p p, which passes in a 
concealed manner along the floor of the room, into an ad¬ 
joining closet, where the confederate is concealed. It is evi¬ 
dent that any sound, directed into the mouth of the trumpet, 
will be immediately reflected back to the orifice of the tube, 
and distinctly heard by a person who places his ear to the 
mouth of the funnel m ; while the answer returned by him, 
traveling along the tin funnel p jp, will issue from its con- 
28 * 


* 


















330 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


cealed orifice,-and striking upon the concave surface of the 
trumpet, be returned to the ear as an echo, and thus appear 
as if it had proceeded from the interior of the hall. 

The vicar observed, that this deception of the Invisible 
Girl , which had formerly created so much interest, was little 
more than the revival of the old and well-known mechanism 
of the speaking bust , which consisted of a tube, from the 
mouth of a bust, leading to a confederate in an adjoining 
room, and of another tube to the same place, ending in the 
the ear of the figure; by the latter of which a sound whis¬ 
pered in the ear of the bust was immediately carried to the 
confederate, who instantly returned an answer by the other 
tube, ending in the mouth of the figure, which therefore ap¬ 
peared to utter it. “ The Invisible Girl,” continued the vicar, 
“ evidently only differs from that contrivance in this single 
circumstance, that an artifical echo is produced by means of 
the trumpet, and thus the sound no longer appears to proceed 
in its original direction.” 

“ Your remark is perfectly correct, my dear vicar,” said Mr. 
Seymour. 

Tom Plank, with an air of self-satisfaction, at this moment 
emerged from his retreat, and inquired whether his perform¬ 
ance had met with the approbation of the company. 

“ Gentlemen,” said Tom Plank, “as I am now fully satis¬ 
fied that any plan of propelling live and dead luggage through 
funnels can never succeed, I propose to employ tubes for con¬ 
veying sounds to a great distance, so as to do away with the 
use of telegraphs.” 

“ Why that plan is more practicable, but less novel, than 
the one you have just abandoned,” answered Mr. Seymour. 
“ At the latter end of the last century, a man of the name of 
Gautier conceived a method of transmitting articulate sounds 
to an immense distance. He proposed the construction of 
horizontal tunnels that should widen at their extremities, by 
means of which the ticking of a watch might be heard more 
distinctly at the distance of two hundred feet than when placed 
close to the ear. I think he calculated that a succession of 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


331 


such tunnels would transmit a verbal message nine hundred 
miles in an hour.” ( 17 ) 

“Only think of that!” ejaculated Tom Plank; “to make 
a communication from London to Edinburgh in about twenty- 
five minutes!” 

“ True, my friend; but what would you say, were I to 
suggest a method of communicating information to any dis¬ 
tance without the loss even of a single second of time ?” 

“There now!” cried the vicar, “you have supplied Tom 
Plank with some fresh barm to set his brains working.” 

“He is an indefatigable fellow, I must allow,” said Mr. 
Seymour. 

After this discourse the vicar rose from his seat, and on 
walking across the room, the creaking of his shoes excited 
the attention of Mr. Seymour, who, with his accustomed 
gayety, observed, that “ the vicar had music in his sole” 

“Mr. Seymour!” exclaimed Mr. Twaddleton, with a look 
which w r e should in vain endeavor to describe, “ the infirmity 
of my shoes, crepitus crepidce , is at all events sanctioned by 
high antiquity; for we are told by Philostratus, in his Epis¬ 
tles, that Vulcan, being jealous of Venus, made her creaking 
shoes, in order that he might hear whenever she stirred.” 

So ludicrous an appeal to antiquity would have overcome 
Heraclitus himself; no wonder then that the whole party 
enjoyed a hearty laugh at the worthy vicar’s expense. 

“'Well, Mr. Twaddleton, if, as you say, I have brought 
down philosophy to account for the most familiar occurrences, 
it is but just that I should return the compliment, by" declar¬ 
ing that you are equally prepared to throw a classical interest 
around the humblest as well as the most dignified subject, 
a capite usque ad calcem ,” observed Mr. Seymour. 

“ How, Tom, as you have so lately been instructed in the 
different sources of sound, do tell your good friend, the vicar, 
the cause of the creaking of his shoes,” said his father. 

“The dryness of the leather, I suppose,” answered the 
young philosopher. 

“ A certain state of dryness is certainly a necessary condi- 




332 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


tion, or else the cohesion between the inner and outer sole 
would exclude the air. Correctly speaking, the creaking de¬ 
pends upon the sudden compression of the air contained be¬ 
tween the two surfaces of leather; just as a sound is produced 
by the clapping of the hands by the air thus set in vibration. 

, Shoes with single soles, therefore, never creak, and by inter¬ 
posing a piece of oil-silk between the two soles, you will so 
far insure the contact of their surfaces as to obviate the 
sound.” 

w That is at all events a piece of practical philosophy worth 
knowing; and I shall accordingly instruct my operator, Jerry 
Styles, upon this point,” observed the vicar. 

“ So you see, my dear sir, I am no bad shoemaker, although 
I have never yet made a shoe.” 

“To be sure—to be sure,” exclaimed the vicar; “for as 
Horace has it— 

‘.sapiens crepidas sibi nunquam 

Nee soleas fecit: sutor tamen est sapiens.’ ”* 

Eor lib. k, sat. 3. 

“You never made a happier quotation,” exclaimed Mr. 
Seymour. 

“ I have only one other remark to make,” continued he, 
“ which the consideration of this subject has very naturally 
suggested—that the various strange sounds, which have from 
time to time alarmed the superstitious, may be readily ex¬ 
plained upon the simple principles we have been discussing. 
I well remember a whole family having been thrown into a 
state of terror, by a mysterious sound which regularly recur¬ 
red every evening; when it was at length discovered to arise 
from the crawling of snails over the window; their slimy 
surfaces, as they moved along, produced a friction, which oc¬ 
casioned a vibration of the glass.” 

“ And I never recall to my recollection, without some de¬ 
gree of terror,” said the vicar, “ the night I passed in an old 
oaken chamber which had the reputation of being haunted. 

* “ For though the wise nor shoes nor slippers made 
He’s yet a skillful shoemaker by trade.” 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


333 


A bright fire cheerfully blazed in the grate as I entered the 
apartment, and casting its ruddy fight around, in some meas¬ 
ure dissipated the prejudice-which had been raised to the 
disparagement of my dormitory; but awaking in the night, 
my fire was out, and a succession of the most extraordinary 
noises I ever heard assailed me.” 

“All which are easily explicable,” said Mr. Seymour. 
“ The old oaken materials were expanded by the heat of your 
fire, and on the apartment cooling, they again contracted, 
and gave origin to all the sounds you describe.” 

“ How unsparingly does science clip the wings of imagina¬ 
tion!” observed Miss Villers. 

“ Reverting to the subject of shoemaking,” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, “ let me ask the vicar, whether he remembers the re¬ 
ceipt of Orator Henley, for making a pair in a few minutes.” 

“ I remember it well: he collected a number of shoemakers 
by promising to impart his great secret to them; and this 
wonderful abridgment of time and labor was exhibited to 
his gaping auditors by cutting off the tops of a ready-made 
pair of boots!” 

“I think,” said Mr. Seymour, “ when Tom has solved the 
enigma I am about to propose, you will allow that, as a para¬ 
doxical shoemaker, I have fairly beaten the orator out of the 
field.” 

“A shoemaker once made shoes without leather, 

With all the four elements joined together; 

There were Fere, and Water, and Earth too, and Air, 

And most of his customers wanted two pair.” 




334 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


CHAPTER XXI. 

AN INTERESTING COMMUNICATION, FROM WHICH THE READER MAY 
LEARN THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS ARE NOT THOSE WHICH 
ABSORB THE GRATEST PORTION OF TIME IN THEIR RECITAL.-MA¬ 

JOR SNAPWELL COMMUNICATES TO MR. SEYMOUR AND THE VICAR 
HIS DETERMINATION TO CELEBRATE THE MARRIAGE OF HIS NEPHEW 

BY A FETE AT OSTERLEY PARK.-PUNCH AND THE FANTOCCINI.-AN 

ANTIQUARIAN DISCUSSION OF GRAVE IMPORTANCE.-ORIGIN OF THE 

BRIDE CAKE.-AN INTERVIEW WITH NED HOPKINS, DURING WHICH 

HE DISPLAYED MUCH CUNNING AND HUMOR, AND IS ENGAGED BY 
THE MAJOR AS THE DIRECTOR OF HIS PROPOSED COMIC ENTERTAIN 
MENT. 


For some time had Major Snapwell been occupied in mak¬ 
ing arrangements for an event, which he hailed not only as 
the accomplishment of his most ardent wishes, but as the 
guarantee of his future happiness. We did not think it right 
to impart this secret to our readers, until the period should 
arrive when, in conformity with the usage of the world, the 
subject might be referred to without reserve or impropriety. 
To such a period has our history arrived, and we shall there¬ 
fore at once communicate the whole story, by relating the 
substance of a conversation which took place between Major 
Snapwell and the vicar, in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour, in the library of Overton Lodge. 

“ Your hand, my dearest friend! your hand, and with it 
the congratulations of your heart,” exclaimed the major, as 
he approached Mr. Twaddleton; “ our friends here,” added 
he, as he bowed to Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, “ are already ac¬ 
quainted with the proposed union between my worthy 
nephew, Henry Beecham, and the charming Isabella Yillers; 
and may Heaven shed the dew of its blessing upon them!” 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


335 


u Amen,” ejaculated tlie vicar. 

“Well, sir, I am most anxious that the ceremony should 
take place at Overton, and that you should officiate upon the 
occasion.” 

“ Most cheerfully shall I comply with your request; L con- 
nubio jungam stabili ,’ as the immortal poet has it,” was the 
vicar’s reply. 

“ I have also to inform you,” continued the major, “ that 
it is my wish to diffuse a portion of that delight, which this 
event will impart to me, over the neighborhood in which I 
shall probably pass the days that may be yet spared to me; 
listen, therefore, to the scheme which I have devised for car¬ 
rying this into effect. I design to give a public entertain¬ 
ment, upon a plan as novel as its scale shall be extensive; it 
shall not be a mere blaze of the spirits, but the recreation of 
the mind, and the jubilee of reason.” 

“An entertainment!” muttered the vicar, whose coun¬ 
tenance afforded any thing but encouragement to such a 
scheme. 

“ Ay, vicar; an entertainment which shall be conducted 
with every regard to ancient usage and classical correct¬ 
ness,” said the major, as he cast a sly glance at Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. 

The countenance of the vicar brightened; and he begged 
his worthy friend to be more explicit, and to state the nature 
of his intended fete. 

“ I have just told you that this boy of mine is shortly to 
conduct Miss Villers to the temple of Hymen; I would seize 
that happy occasion for giving a rural fete, in my park, to 
the inhabitants of Overton and its neighborhood; and, as 
there are no less than three events which I am anxious to 
celebrate, I propose that this same ffite shall be continued 
through three successive days. On the first shall be com¬ 
memorated the providential escape of my nephew from ship¬ 
wreck; on the second, his marriage; and on the third, my 
purchase and occupation of Osterley Park—What think you 
of my plan ?” 



336 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


“ Why, truly, that it would admit of much appropriate 
pageantry, and be countenanced by classical authority: Au¬ 
gustus triumphed three days, for the purpose of commemo¬ 
rating three great events; the first of which was the defeat 
of the Pannonians and Dalmatii; the second, the battle of 
Actium; and the third, the reduction of Egypt. Then, 
again, we have the Ludi Magni of the Romans, and the sol¬ 
emn Athenian feast, Apaturia , which lasted during three 
days; and above all, the Secular games, which were con¬ 
tinued through the same period. In the face of such author¬ 
ities, it would ill become the classical scholar to offer any ob¬ 
jection ; although, as vicar of the parish, I cannot conscien¬ 
tiously close my eyes against the evils which might possibly 
arise from such protracted revelry. I would, therefore, with 
submission, propose that the three events to which you allude, 
the importance of which I most fully appreciate, should be 
celebrated by three distinct festivals on one and the same 
day.” 

The major saw plainly that the vicar might be made to 
approve of, or to dissent from any plan, by the dexterous use 
of classical authority; he therefore determined to use it, as 
he had so successfully done on former occasions, as a talis¬ 
man for the accomplishment of his purpose. 

“I like your proposition,” observed the major, “but I 
greatly fear that you will not be able to support it by 
any classical authority; and, remember, I must have every 
thing conducted in the strictest accordance with ancient 
usage.” 

“Your intention commands my profound respect,” an¬ 
swered the vicar; “ and I will not lose any time in searching 
the writings of Lipsius for a precedent, an author who has 
collected fifteen laws of the Roman entertainments; or per¬ 
haps, the Pandects of Franciscus Modius, who has so ably 
treated of nuptial ceremonies, will furnish the desired infor¬ 
mation; but no matter, a precedent must be found, and 1 
will produce it.” 

Mr. Seymour here interrupted the conversation by inquir- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


337 


ing of tlie major the plan of those amusements which he 
proposed to provide. 

“ My plan is to convert the elm-meadow at Osterley Park 
into a fair,” said the major, “ wherein every kind of amuse¬ 
ment that I can command shall he exhibited—tumblers— 
rope-dancers—conjurers—fire-eaters, and, in short, the whole 
merry train of Comus shall be pressed into our service; and, 
in spite of the Peace Congress, who have denounced Punch 
as the embodied spirit of pugnacity, I will never discard the 
old friend of my youth; he shall certainly be engaged to dis¬ 
play his hereditary wit and mimic drolleries; and although 
as a needy vagabond he is at length doomed, by an ungrate¬ 
ful public, to roam about the world, like a snail, with his 
house on his back, let us not forget that the time was when, 
like Homer, cities contended for his birth.”* 

“ I hope you will also engage the ‘ Fantoccini 1 or ‘ Mario¬ 
nettes^ ”f said Louisa. 

u Undoubtedly; the ‘ machines gesticulantes ’ have a classi¬ 
cal claim to our regard, not only as having suggested to Goethe 
the notion of his immortal Faust, but as being honorably as¬ 
sociated with the poetical muse of Addison, and the dramatic 
reminiscences of Ben Jonson.” 

Mrs. Seymour here interposed, and begged to remind her 
friends that we were also indebted to the Fantoccini for one 
of Haydn’s musical inspirations. 

“Nor will I withhold an offering,” said her husband: 
“ who does not remember with delight the inimitable scene 
of the Puppet Player in Don Quixote, in which the Knight 
makes so merciless an attack upon the mimic representatives 

* By many he has been considered of French origin; but Naples would 
appear to have the best claim to the honor. 

+ Marionette, the French word for puppet, originally applied to the Vir¬ 
gin Mary, who appeared in a sort of miracle play; but the term, like many 
others of the same kind, has lost its exclusive application. The earliest pup 
pet was certainly the Doll; but it has been questioned whether it waa the 
emblem of precocious, maternity, or a symbol of religious veneration (Pa 
nates). Did it spring from the hearth or the'altar? The word Doll would 
seem to be a corruption of Idol. 


29 



338 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


of the Moors in defense of Don Gayferos and the fair Meli- 
sendra ?” 

This point having been settled, the major proceeded: “ I 
will also provide platforms for those who may be disposed 
to weave the mazy dance, orchestras for music, and orna¬ 
mented tents for refreshments. And I shall certainly call 
upon the vicar,” added the major with an arch smile, “ to 
open the ball with the bride.” 

“ Ay, my dear major, had I numbered a few olympiads 
less, I should indeed have felt flattered by so marked a distinc¬ 
tion ; but my age, my age,” murmured Mr. Twaddleton. 

“ Nonsense! find some classical authority to sanction my 
proposal.” 

“Your suggestion merits attention; let me consider— 
Lucian—What says Lucian de Saltatione? No, stop, I have 
it! Socrates learned to dance very late in life; and Cato, 
notwithstanding his severity of manners, disdained not, at 
the age of sixty, to practice it. I will therefore, under such 
auspices, comply with your request, and lead the bride down 
the first dance.” 

The major expressed his delight at the concession of his 
classical friend, and proceeded. 

“ I also propose that a number of Lilliputian ships shall 
perform their various evolutions on the canal, and ultimately 
engage in mimic war—such cannonading! such explosions!” 

“How charming! how very delightful and interesting!” 
exclaimed Louisa and Fanny; “but pray, papa, do allow 
Tom to leave school, in order that he may witness all these 
amusements, or instead of pleasure we shall derive from 
them nothing but regret.” 

“Fear not, my dear little friends,” exclaimed the major; 
“ I shall insist upon that as a condition, and I am sure my 
request will be very cheerfully granted.” 

“Most certainly,” said the father; “indeed, I shall be 
anxious to embrace so favorable an opportunity of explaining 
to my children the various tricks they will witness, and the 
machinery by which the deceptions will be accomplished; 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


339 


thus shall I convert what, to the common eye, will appear as 
a scene of idle revelry, into a school of philosophy, and, in 
accordance with my favorite scheme, turn sport into science; 
and I shall, moreover, hope, by such means, to guard the 
rising generation against that infatuated credulity which is 
the bane and disgrace of the present age:—I allude to ‘ mes¬ 
meric 1 and other such similar deceptions, as ‘ electro-biology ,’ 
which, under the assumption of science, although opposed to 
its very first principles, dishonor the hallowed shrine of Truth, 
and convert its temple into a booth for the juggler.” 

“I quite agree with you,” said the vicar; “there is no 
surer method of dissipating the illusions of the ‘ Will-o'-th' 1 - 
Wisp ’ than by carrying a fight in our hand.” 

“ Upon my word, Mr. Seymour, you are a perfect alchy- 
mist, and extract gold from every thing you touch; you 
have already derived scientific information from the most 
miscellaneous and trifling amusements, and will, no doubt, 
upon the present occasion, convert our very pies and pud¬ 
dings into instruments of instruction; thus verifying the old 
adage, ‘ That there is reason in roasting an egg,’ ” said the 
major. 

“ By the by, are you aware of the philosophy which sug¬ 
gested that adage?” asked the vicar; “ if not, I wifi tell you. 
You must know then that in the large end of the egg there is 
a little air-bag, termed the folliculus a'eris , and which is de¬ 
signed for furnishing a supply of air to the growing chick; 
now if an egg be suddenly exposed to the temperature of hot 
embers, this air will be so violently expanded as to burst the 
shell, and scatter its contents; to prevent such an accident 
the provident housewife pricks the blunt end of the shell 
with a pin, in order to allow the expanded air to escape more 
gradually, so that there is reason or philosophy in the roast¬ 
ing an egg.” 

“ Yery good; I like your explanation; if not true, it has 
at least the merit of being ingenious, and, I will add, far more 
plausible than many of our recognized derivations,” observed 
the major. 



340 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


“ Well, but, papa, we have interrupted tbe major in his 
delightful description: he had not concluded the account of 
his proposed ffite,” said Louisa. 

“ Pray go on,” cried Fanny : “ let me see, where did you 
leave off? Oh, I remember, you were interrupted in a tem¬ 
porary tent, which I hope you intend to decorate with gar¬ 
lands.” 

“Leave all that to the vicar, young lady! he will, no 
doubt, display his classical taste in the emblematic appoint¬ 
ments.” 

“I shall terminate the festivities of the day by a grand 
display of fireworks,” continued the major, “and which will 
necessarily fall under my own more immediate direction. 
In all other matters I trust the vicar will allow me to pro¬ 
claim him as master of the revels; for he is, as we all acknowl¬ 
edge, deeply versed in ancient customs, and I am especially 
anxious that every department should be conducted with the 
utmost classical taste and correctness.” 

“I willingly accept the office,” said Mr. Twaddleton, with 
a gracious smile, “ since there is ample authority for my ac¬ 
quiescence. The Romans usually appointed a person, whom 
they styled king, and held responsible for the correctness of 
their entertainments. I accept it also on a different ground, 
that my presence may check the undue enthusiasm of the 
populace, and restrain the hilarity of the evening within the 
boundary of decorum.” 

“ If, in the arrangement of your banquet, my assistance 
can be useful, pray command my services,” said Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour. 

“ Believe me sincere, my dear madam, when I say that the 
kind manner in which you have received my plan, and now 
so kindly offer to promote its execution, affords me the high¬ 
est gratification. If I decline your services, it will be from 
an unwillingness to usurp the sovereignty of our master of the 
ceremonies,” replied the major. 

“Not at all, not at all,” hastily exclaimed the vicar; “do 
you expect me to discharge at once the offices of 1Dapifer, 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


341 


Lardremus-Magister Coquorum and Prcegustator ? I can¬ 
not undertake to descend into the lower regions, to hold 
converse with your ancient Sibyl, the cook; nor can I suppose 
that you would require me to marshal the dishes.” 

“ Have I not declared that every part of my entertainment 
shall be strictly classical; and ought not each dish to convey 
some moral device, some allegorical design ? are we to feed 
with as little discrimination as the dogs that devoured the 
sacred Apis ?” said the major. 

The knowledge which the reader must have already col¬ 
lected of Mr. Twaddleton’s character will have satisfied him 
that, in every action of his life, he was more or less influenced 
by the spell of ancient authority ; but we doubt whether he 
may not yet have to learn the extent to which the learned 
gentleman carried this enthusiasm. ¥e shall accordingly 
beg to state a few instances, which will serve to enlighten 
him still further upon this striking point in the vicar’s char¬ 
acter. Be it known, then, that the very first act which 
announced the preferment of the Reverend Peter Twaddleton 
to the dignity of Vicar of Overton, was not, as some might 
suppose, an increased rate of compensation for the tithes; 
nor was it a rate levied for the repairs of the church; but it 
was the removal of the rusty and rickety vane from the spire, 
which, as it consisted of a simple cross-piece of iron, seemed 
to his imagination to be wriggling about, without any indi¬ 
cation of its ancient and dignified origin. He therefore, at 
his own cost, replaced it by the figure of a cock, which ho 
caused to be duly executed after the authentic model on the 
tower of his late college chapel. It will be remembered that 
the crowing of the cock warned Peter; for which reason the 
monks first placed the image of that bird on their churches, 
as an emblem to call people to prayers ; and since the image 
was made to revolve with the wind, it soon acquired the 
name of the weathercock , an appellation which is now gener¬ 
ally applied to every machine for indicating the direction of 
the wind, the derivation of the word being entirely lost sight 
of. With respect to the arrangement of his table, the vioar 



342 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


displayed an equal veneration for ancient forms. H«f perpet¬ 
uated the use of the wassail-howl, which was scrupulously 
prepared with apples and ale, according to the most orthodox 
receipt. His mince-pies at Christmas were fabricated with 
the same inflexible adherence to ancient authority ; he main¬ 
tained that the introduction of meat into their composition 
was a scandalous heresy; that the choicest production of the 
East ought alone to he admitted, since the custom was origi¬ 
nally intended to allegorize the offerings made by the wise 
men who came from afar to worship, bringing spices, &c. 
He was also equally critical with respect to the shape of these 
dainty inventions ; he insisted upon the ancient form, which 
he stated to have been in imitation of the cratch, or manger, 
wherein the infant Jesus had lain. In the same spirit, he 
repudiated the round plum-pudding, and insisted upon the 
ancient form of the sausage, which distinguished that Christ¬ 
mas delicacy. His table was, with the same antiquarian 
correctness, punctually supplied at Easter with a gammon of 
bacon; a custom which would have been more honored in 
the breach than in the observance, since it was evidently 
founded on the abhorrence our forefathers thought proper to 
express toward the Jews at the season of commemorating the 
resurrection.* The idea was in direct opposition to the lib¬ 
eral sentiments of the vicar; hut, being an ancient custom, 
he never ventured to question its propriety. In like manner 
his tranquillity would have been sadly disturbed, had Annette 
ever forgotten the pancakes on Shrove-Tuesday; for he was 
decidedly of opinion that it was a dish which had derived its 
origin from the heathen Fornacalia, a festival instituted by 
Huma,f in honor of the goddess Fornax; and was intended 
to commemorate the baking of bread before the invention of 
ovens. Upon the subject of “ cross-buns ” he displayed great 
profundity. He observed that the word bun was derived 
from boun , a species of sacred bread described by Hesychius, 

* Drake’s Bhakspeare and his Times. 

t Ovid, Fast, ii, v, 525. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


343 


and which was anciently offered to the gods; in support of 
which opinion he quoted Julius Pollux, and Diogenes Laer¬ 
tius ; nor did he relinquish the subject until he had ably 
descanted upon the address with which heathen customs had 
been, as it were, naturalized and perpetuated as Christian 
observances. The boun , he would say, lost its idolatrous 
impurity by receiving the sign of the cross,* just as Druidical 
idols, and stones-erect , by having crosses engraven upon them, 
continued to receive a justifiable reverence, even as late as 
the seventh century. 

In short, the extent to which our excellent but eccentric 
vicar was carried on such occasions, can scarcely be credited, 
except by those who are acquainted with the extravagant 
whimsies of a genuine antiquary. "We have never contem¬ 
plated this part of his character without congratulating the 
rising generation at Overton on the circumstance of the offices 
of village schoolmaster and vicar of the parish not having cen¬ 
tered in the same individual; for we have not the shadow of 
a doubt, so great was Mr. Twaddleton’s veneration for ancient 
usages, but he would have whipped up every child within his 
jurisdiction, on the morning of Childermas-day, or that of the 
Holy Innocents, as we are informed was the ancient custom, 
“ in order that the memorial of Herod’s murder of the Inno¬ 
cents might stick the closer.” On the other hand, he would 
as readily have forgiven any offense, had the little culprit only 
cited a few lines from a favorite classic; for often had he 
been heard to relate, in terms of high admiration, the well- 
known story of the Athenian Captives, whose lives were 
spared in Sicily in consequence of their being able to repeat 
passages from Euripides.t Whether, in spite of the censure 

* No one can entertain a greater respect for the classical authority of the 
vicar than the author of these pages, but he humbly submits that the custom 
of dividing the cake into four parts, quarters, or quadrants, by two straight 
lines drawn through the center, claims a much higher antiquity than that her* 
assigned to it. That cakes so did were called QuadrcB we have the au¬ 
thority of Virgil, which Mr. Twaddlet* n would be the last to question— 

“-Patulis nec parccro QuaJris.*’— jEn. vii. 115. 

t Athenian army, commanded by Nicias.— Plutarch. 




344 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


and remonstrance of St. Austin, he would have ventured to 
contiune the half-holiday on the Thursday, it is difficult to 
say, although the high antiquity of a custom, originally es¬ 
tablished in honor of Jupiter, would, no doubt, have produced 
its due influence upon the antiquary’s decision. 

One more anecdote, and we have done. The reader will 
remember that to Dr. Doseall, the renowned Esculapius of 
Overton, the antiquary had given the title of Polyphemus ; 
this might appear inconsistent with his known kindness and 
acknowledged liberality, and we therefore feel called upon to 
state his justification. “Was it not,” he asked, “ a notorious 
custom in Athens to give nicknames expressive of personal 
peculiarities ? Do we not learn from Aristophanes that the 
poet Theognis, from the deficient warmth of his composi¬ 
tions, went by the name of ‘ Snow ?’ and moreover, did not 
the Athenians, as a body, from their notorious passion for 
news, and then* habit of swallowing open-mouthed the flying 
rumors of the day, receive the soubriquet of ‘Gapers' just as 
the London inhabitants of the present day rejoice in that of 
1 Cockneys V ” Doseall’s medical practice was confessedly 
blind and strong, and hence the allusion to Polyphemus. We 
have thought it right to relate these few anecdotes, in order 
to vindicate the propriety of the major’s choice, and to con¬ 
vince those whom it may concern, that a better qualified mas¬ 
ter of the ceremonies could not have been selected. 

After this explanation we may return, with a clear con¬ 
science, to the party whom we had rather abruptly quitted, 
and continue our relation of the conversation which followed. 

“ So then you have determined that the vicar shall super¬ 
intend the banquet,” said Mrs. Seymour; “ there is, however, 
one part of the ceremony which I shall certainly not feel dis¬ 
posed to resign, the ordering and disposition of the bridal 
cakes; the genius of Gunter and his attendant spirits, shall 
be invoked to produce one of the most triumphant produc¬ 
tions of art.” 

“Psha, nonsense! you surely would never countenance 
that ice-clad demon of indigestion,” said the vicar. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


345 


“ What do I hear ? Why, zounds, vicar, do you expect 
me to submit to such vagaries ? what! a wedding without a 
cake? it cannot he tolerated. I suppose I shall next hear of 
an English feast without roast beef,” vociferated the major. 

“Eear not, my dear major, for you shall certainly have 
your cake; but, in the name of all that is classical, let it be 
the true Roman bride-cake, made after the orthodox receipt 
which Cato has bequeathed to us in his work, ‘ De Re Rusti- 
ca) (cap. 121). You must be aware, Mr. Seymour, that the 
Mustacea of the Romans, the species of cake used at wed¬ 
dings, consisted of meal, aniseed, cummin, and sundry other 
aromatic ingredients.” 

“ And do you seriously believe that any one of us will 
swallow such a medicate farrago ?” said the major. 

“ The unenlightened may, perhaps, refuse it; and should 
the children prefer your modern counterfeit, they might 
stand excused, since classical inspiration rarely descends upon 
a boy until he has construed a Creek chorus,” observed the 
vicar. 

“Were I to swallow but a grain of it,” said Mrs. Sey¬ 
mour, “ the services of Dr. Doseall would be in speedy re¬ 
quisition.” 

“ Mere prejudice, madam. The object, I may say the sole 
intention of the Mustacea , was actually to prevent or remove 
the indigestion which might be occasioned by too free an 
indulgence at the marriage table; and I think it must be 
acknowledged that this spicy compound was better adapted 
for such a purpose than the modern sweetmeat to which it 
gave origin.” 

“ With respect to the roast beef, to which the major has 
just alluded,” continued the vicar, “I shall only observe, 
that until the reign of our eighth Henry, it does not appear 
to have taken any part in the formation of our national char¬ 
acter.” 

“ I would beg to inquire to whom the selection and ar¬ 
rangement of the comic entertainments are to be intrusted; 
unless the major should have already found a competent per- 



346 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


son, I think I can recommend one who is admirably qualified 
for the duties,” said Mr. Seymour. 

u That is lucky; I am at this moment in quest of such a 
director,” said the major. 

“Med Hopkins, then, who has for some time past taken up 
his abode at our village alehouse, is the very man you want; 
I have no doubt he will cheerfully undertake the office, and 
most satisfactorily discharge its motley duties.” 

“Good gracious! Ned Hopkins?” exclaimed the vicar 
with much surprise. 

“ To be sure; and who better understands the trim of the 
itinerant sons of Oomus? was not his father a mountebank 
doctor, an astrologer, and a professor of the art of legerde¬ 
main ?” 

44 Do not suppose that I value Ned Hopkins the less on that 
account; for I well know that the immortal Virgil was the 
son of a servant, or assistant, to a wandering astrologer, or 
4 Medians Magus as Juvenal has it; and that the mother of 
Euripides was a cabbage-woman, for which Aristophanes so 
unjustifiably ridicules him. My dislike to Ned Hopkins arises 
from a very different feeling; I cannot endure his coarse jokes 
and Bacchanalian buffoonery.” 

44 Ay,” continued Mr. Seymour, 44 and his vile puns and 
hackneyed proverbs; and yet you must confess that, after all, 
he is a very clever fellow.” 

44 Clever fellow ! why truly, Satan does not usually select a 
fool as his ambassador,” observed the vicar. 

44 Upon my word, gentlemen, this must needs be a most 
amusing fellow, and you have so far excited my curiosity, 
as to make me desirous of hearing something further of his 
history and habits, and of having the opportunity of forming 
his acquaintance,” said the major. 

44 He i3 one of those loose and buoyant spirits,” replied 
Mr. Seymour, 44 who thrive upon expedients; and measuring 
their consciences by their wants, derive a livelihood from 
sources, of which those who jog on quietly through the beat¬ 
en paths of life Lave r.t the most remote conception. He 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


347 


commenced his career under the tutorage of the first fire- 
eaters of the day; hut having clumsily scalded his mouth, 
and lost his reputation, he bolted, and sought another stage 
for the display of his abilities. Possessed of a very consider¬ 
able degree of native humor and caustic shrewdness, he en¬ 
gaged himself as a ‘ mercenary ,’ or literary drudge, to a pop¬ 
ular publisher of comic song-books, doleful ballads, sanguinary 
murders, magical magazines, amorous valentines, oracles of 
health, and plans for the reduction of all taxes, and the liqui¬ 
dation of the national debt; nor did he hesitate to promote 
the public health, and the welfare of the Life Assurance So¬ 
cieties, by vouching, under sundry feigned names, for the 
miraculous efficacy of those pills, elixirs, and lotions, by 
which all mortal maladies are said by then*.humane venders 
to be averted or cured. These honorable occupations, as I 
have been credibly informed, produced for him, during a suc¬ 
cessful season, some twenty or thirty pounds in the lawful 
coin of the realm; but Ned, like many a great genius, was 
better pleased with an hour of idleness than with a week of 
study; and, strange to say, would at any time have preferred 
a cup of wine to a bucketful of the brightest water from Hel¬ 
icon. No sooner, therefore, had he collected a few pounds, 
than he descended from his high literary station, a garret; 
and, taking up his abode in some hedge alehouse, would en¬ 
joy a life of happy leisure, until every particle of that world¬ 
ly substance which he had gained by inspiration from above 
was gratefully returned to the skies in the form of tobacco- 
fumes. For some months past,” added Mr. Seymour, “ he 
has been a constant inmate at the ‘ Bag of Nails,' where, as 
I am led to believe, he pays for nothing but his tobacco ; the 
worthy hostess, having found him a very profitable bait for 
customers, is too willing to barter the drippings of the kitch¬ 
en for his sayings, and the leakage of the tap-room for his 
songs.” 

“ I am quite impatient to be made acquainted with this 
comical character,” said the major. 

u Suppose we walk into the village,” said Mr. Seymour, 



348 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ we shall be sure to find him smoking his pipe on a bench 
before the alehouse door; where he is as regularly stationed 
by his patroness, to catch customers, as the saucer of treacle 
is placed in the window by the pastry-cook, to attract flies.” 

“You will, of course, excuse my accompanying you,” cried 
Mr. Twaddleton, somewhat pettishly; “I cannot endure his 
stale jokes and potted stories.” 

The gentlemen accordingly directed their route through 
Forest-lane, and took leave o'f the vicar at the entrance of the 
churcli-yard. On arriving within twenty yards of the pub¬ 
lic house, Mr. Seymour observed a wreath of smoke curling 
about its porch. “ There sits Ned,” said he; “I knew we 
should find him on duty.” 

“Hopkins! Hopkins!” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “I fear 
you have not taken the worthy vicar’s friendly advice.” 

“Friendly advice!” muttered the wit; “too peremptory 
by half; he assumes the air of the ace of trumps, without its 
winning qualities, and in spite of his numerous odd tricks, I 
question whether in the end the deuce won’t win him, and a 
spade put an end to his game.” 

“ Mr. Hopkins,” said the major gravely—“ on the eve of 
our impending festivities, I feel that by disregarding your 
coarse and most unjust attack upon a worthy and spotless 
character, I shall only act in the true spirit of my classical 
friend, the vicar; for Rome permitted her slaves to calumni¬ 
ate her best citizens in the day of triumph.” 

Ned Hopkins heeded not this reproof, but proceeded— 
“ As to reforming my habits, why, gentlemen, the dog cannot 
alter its way of barking, nor is it easy to straighten in the 
oak the crook that grew in the sapling.” 

“ I am to presume, then, to speak courteously, that you 
are still a man of leisure,” observed Mr. Seymour. 

“ Ay, verily am I; as idle, sir, as a chimney in the dog- 
days,” replied the wag of the tap-room. 

“ That, by the by, is not a very happy simile of yours, 
when applied to a man who is smoking all day long,” inter- 
: osed the major. 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


349 


“ If you are for a skirmish of wit, most gallant sir, Ned 
Hopkins is not the lad to shirk the encounter. As, however, 
my simile of the chimney has failed to please you, let me try 
what I can make of the dog-days; I have it! ‘as lazy as 
Ludlam’s dog, that leaned his head against the wall to bark.’ 
Will that please you ? But, in good faith, gentlemen, I con¬ 
fess that a day of leisure is to me a golden age, for I am of 
my Lord Peterborough’s way of thinking, who used to say, 
‘ a golden age was that in which every one might pipe when 
and where he pleased.’ ” 

The wag, at this instant, gave such a practical illustration 
of his theme, as would have suffocated the major, had not his 
military habits rendered him smoke-proof. 

“In short, gentlemen,” continued Ned, “a pipe is the 
solace of my life, and the mainspring of my wit; knock out 
my pipe and you knock out my brains. I verily believe that 
if I could not obtain the ‘ Furies ’ Frankincense ,’ as they have 
profanely called the divine weed, I should be like the vicar 
Breedon, who, according to William Lilly, cut the bell-ropes, 
and smoked them.” So saying, he blew another cloud, and, 
removing the pipe from his mouth, sang the following ditty: 

“ Little tube of magic power, 

Charmer of an idle hour, 

Object of my warm desire, 

Lip of wax and eye of fire ; 

And thy snowy taper waist, 

With my fingers gently braced,” &c. &c. 

“Always merry, Ned,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Lord bless you, sir, what is life but a jest? I jest to live, 
and I live but to jest, and so I shall continue to do, until the 
shovel puts me to bed with my mother.” 

“ Your father was, as I have heard, a reputed jester, so 
that your wit came to you by inheritance.” 

“Indeed he was, God bless his memory! and it was his 
constant prayer that his son Neddy might turn out as sharp 
a man as his father—a true ‘chip of the old block;’ and if 
30 ' 



350 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


there be any truth in the adage, that ‘ dogs baric as they are 
bred,' I certainly had a9 good a chance as most persons. Mo- 
mus rocked my cradle; I ate fire before I was seven years 
old; and so anxiously did my father superintend my educa¬ 
tion, that he never suffered me to cut a morsel until I had 
cut a joke. ‘Neddy,’ he used to say, ‘I perceive you are 
like my bagpipes, never audible except your pouch is full of 
wind; for after a good meal you are as mum as a mouse in a 
mill; so remember, my lad, no pun no pudding—no song no 
supper.’ Thus schooled I became, through necessity, a wit, 
and earned every mouthful by a joke ; in short, after a little 
time, my genius illumined every dish,.and, like the fire of 
London, blazed from Pudding-lane to Pie-corner.” 

“ And you afterward appeared on the stage as a candidate 
for popular applause; which, as you fortunately obtained, 
how came you to desert your calling ?” asked the major. 

“ He who licks honey from thorns pays too dearly for it. 
The scanty pence were obtained only through painful toil 
and abject drudgery, so I left off threshing straw, packed up 
my wardrobe in a pocket-handkerchief, and trudged off to 
Cockneyshire.” 

“For what object?” inquired the major. 

“ To enter upon the literary line, and carry my wit to a 
better market; and instead of retailing it at country fairs, to 
offer it wholesale to some of the fraternity of publishers, from 
whom I shortly received several profitable orders; the sale 
of my poetry, moreover, soon convinced me, notwithstand¬ 
ing all that had been said to the contrary, that there were 
still some gold mines in Parnassus. I assure you I lived the 
first week entirely upon ‘ liquid blacking,’ and sang like a lark 
as the herald of Day .” 

“ Day and Martin,” suggested the major. 

“ I also procured a blazing fire, and an abundant supply of 
candles, by the publication of my popular song, ‘ Ah, let my 
muse ajlame inspire? I shall say nothing of my odes upon 
Moses and the Profits ; except indeed that the latter re¬ 
cruited my wardrobe. In short, gentlemen, without exhaust- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


351 


ing your patience with a long recital of my adventures, suf¬ 
fice it to say, that I have always been able to keep my pipe 
smoking by my puffs, my pot boiling by the ebullition of my 
spirits, and my grate blazing by th effre of my genius; while 
paste and scissors have never failed in securing a plentiful 
supply of cabbage , upon which I have thrived like any cater¬ 
pillar.” 

Here Hopkins took a draught that Bitias,* or Diotimus,f 
of classical memory, might well have envied. 

“ Did I not say,” resumed the wag, after a deep-drawn 
breath, “ that my pipe was the nurse of wit ? ay, verily is 
she, a dry-imvsQ. It is a strange case, gentlemen, but I am 
in the situation of the flying-fish, incapable of keeping myself 
up, unless I occasionally moisten my wings.” 

“ To be serious for a few moments, let me warn you,” said 
Mr. Seymour, “ that if you persist in this dreadful habit, you 
will most assuredly destroy the coat of your stomach.” 

“The coat of my stomach,” replied Ned; “if that is all, 
my stomach must even be contented to do what its master 
has so often done before it—go in its waistcoat, with the un¬ 
derstanding that it shall have an additional glass to keep it 
warm.” 

“ But suppose I could prove to your satisfaction that by 
relinquishing this habit, your days in the land would be 
lengthened,” observed Mr. Seymour. 

“ ‘ My days lengthened’ by ceasing to drink, did you say ? 
why, I do not require any argument to convince me of that: 
a short glass will ever make a long day. You must know, 
my worthy sir, that being low in funds and credit, I was 
lately compelled to forego my usual potations for one entire 
day, and I can assure you it appeared the longest I ever 
passed.” 

“ I see you are incorrigible upon this point; but what say 
you to a profitable engagement ?” asked Mr. Seymour. 

* Virg. iEn. i. 742. 

t An Athenian, nicknamed the Funnel , on account of the draughts he 
swallowed. 



352 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Why, as to that, sir, I have always a ready lip for a ripe 
cherry.” 

“You must know, then, that my friend Major Snap well 
proposes to give a grand rural fete to the inhabitants of Over- 
ton and its neighborhood, and as he intends to convert his 
grounds into a fair upon the occasion, he is desirous of find¬ 
ing some person acquainted with comic entertainments, who 
would undertake the office of manager, to contract with- the 
necessary performers, and superintend all the arrangements.” 

“ I am the lad for the major’s silver,” said the delighted 
wag; “for without vanity, I may say that few persons better 
understand the art of mixing up the motley ingredients of 
fun and frolic; there is, besides, that in the major’s face which 
I would willingly call master.” 

“ And were I to judge from your frontispiece,” said the 
major, “I should say that every day in your calendar was a 
red-lettered one—the painting of that red nose of yours must 
have cost a trifle.” 

“ Cannot tell; it is not yet finished,” retorted the hu¬ 
morist. 

Major Snapwell, with the assistance of Mr. Seymour, now 
entered more fully into the nature and extent of the various 
exhibitions which he wished Hopkins to provide; but as he 
was at present unable to fix the exact day for the fete, he 
directed him to take such steps only as might be necessary 
for securing the performers, and to hold himself in readiness 
for active service. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


353 


CHAPTER XXII. 

MIE FLOWER-GARDEN.-REASONS FOR PLACING IT NEAR YOUR DWELL¬ 
ING.-EARLY PASSION FOR FLOWERS ENDURES THROUGH LIFE.- 

ADVANTAGES ARISING FROM THEIR CULTIVATION.-ITS PLEASURES 

ENHANCED BY THE APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE.—CONTRAST, A SOURCE 

OF PLEASURE.-ILLUSTRATIONS.-THE PHILOSOPHY OF COLORS.- 

COMPLEMENTARY, OR ACCIDENTAL COLORS.-EXPERIMENTS WITH 

COLORED WAFERS.-OPTICAL FALLACIES.-REFLECTIONS IN THE AL¬ 
COVE OF THE MAJOR’S GARDEN.-PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS AND CON¬ 

CLUSIONS. 


“ Or shall I mention, whore celestial Truth 
Her awful light discloses, to bestow 
A more majestic pomp on Beauty’s frame ? 

• ••••••• 

Nor ever yet 

The melting rainbow’s vernal tinctured hues 
To me have shown so pleasing, as when first 
The hand of Science pointed out the path 
In which the sunbeams gleaming from the west 
Fall on the watery cloud.” AJcenside. 


“ Walk in—and view the wonders of my enchanted garden.” 

Darwin. 


The reader will remember that a promise had been given 
by Miss Villers to visit Osterley Park, in company with the 
Seymour family, in order that they might inspect and ar¬ 
range the flower-garden of Major Snap well.—That promise 
had been redeemed, and on the morning following their arri¬ 
val, the gallant host reminded Miss Villers of her engagement 
to offer such suggestions for the improvement of his flower¬ 
beds, as might readily occur to a person of her acknowledged 
taste. 

SO* 










354 : 


PHILOSOPHY IH SPOKT 


“ Nay, my clear major, rather appeal to our good friend 
Mr. Seymour, since it is from his science alone, that you can 
expect any really useful hints for the more skillful disposition 
of your flowers,” answered Miss Villers. 

“I greatly fear,” said Mr. Seymour, “that you are raising 
expectations which I shall fail to realize; I will, therefore, at 
once, candidly state, that I have not the least pretension to 
he considered as a florist, and that my only object is to ex¬ 
plain certain elementary principles regarding the harmony of 
colors, which may enable you, by their judicious application, 
to display your flowers to the eye of taste with the greatest 
amount of satisfaction. You will therefore perceive that I 
use the garden rather as the means than the end of an in¬ 
structive inquiry—but before I proceed, let me acknowledge 
how greatly we are indebted to the late researches of M. 
Chevreul* for the knowledge I shall hope to impart.” 

“ Previous to our entering upon this subject,” interposed 
the vicar, “ may I be allowed, my dear major, to congratu¬ 
late you on having your flower-garden so close to your man¬ 
sion ; when so placed, it inspires very different feelings from 
one situated at a distance; in the former case, each flower is 
a friend , with whom you may hourly hold converse; you 
trace its growth from the opening bud to the falling blos¬ 
som—you mark its wants, and the vase of water, or the pru- 
ning-knife and scissors, are at hand to supply them; should 
they be attacked by voracious insects, you drive the miscre¬ 
ants from their prey; whereas in the distant garden, the 
flowers, instead of friends , are only acquaintances , casually 
seen, little cared for, and as soon forgotten, and into whose 
progress to maturity you have but an occasional, and very 
imperfect insight.’ ’ 

“ So entirely do I agree with every word that has fallen 
from our friend the vicar, that I would earnestly entreat 
every true votary of our elegant science, to place the shrine 

* “On tbe influence that two colors may exercise upon each other, 
when seen simultaneously.'”— Physical Investigations on Dyeing , by M. 
Chevreul. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


355 


of his goddess within a readily accessible distance of his 
dwelling,” observed Mr. Seymour. 

“ Do yon not remember,” asked Tom, “ when we laid out 
our little gardens, how desirous you were that they should 
be placed at a short distance from the house, so that we might 
watch the progress of our flowers, and the effect produced 
upon them by daily attention; and as long as I live I shall 
never forget the pleasure they so constantly gave us, during 
the holidays.” 

The artlessness and truth with which this genuine feel¬ 
ing was expressed, particularly struck and pleased Miss Vil- 
lers, and led her to remark that, with the exception perhaps 
of certain musical airs, nothing so tenaciously clings to the 
memory, or entwines itself so passionately around our affec¬ 
tions, as an early love of flowers ; that the violet and prim¬ 
rose, gathered in our childhood, carry with them the most 
endearing reminiscences, and the most pleasurable associa¬ 
tions, to extreme old age. “ The sojourner of distant lands,” 
continued the young lady, “ actually weeps with joy over the 
violet that may have casually found its way to the country 
of his adoption.”* 

Mr. Seymour always considered the cultivation of a flower- 
garden as very properly included within the instructive rec¬ 
reations of youth. 

“There cannot,” said he, “be a more healthy and rational 
amusement. The contemplation of the softer beauties, which 
a beneficent Providence has so profusely lavished upon us, 
communicates a sympathetic influence, which not only edu¬ 
cates the mind, but refines the heart, and leads the young 
scholar to look 4 through Nature, up to Nature’s God.’—The 
vigilance and kindly care, too, with which we watch, and 
provide for the tender plant during its progressive stages, 

* It is related that a vessel on arriving In New Holland, and importing for 
the first time some primroses into the colony, produced such excitement 
amongst the English settlers, as to have rendered it necessary for the author¬ 
ities to call out a guard to protect the desired treasure; and it is recorded of 
Linnaeus that, in his travels through England, he shed tears of joy on recog¬ 
nizing the golden gorseof his native land. 



35 6 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


furnish a wholesome discipline of the affections; while, at 
the same time, we are practically taught the great physical 
as well as moral truth, that the success of every enterprise 
will depend upon the due appliances of time and season. 
The opening foliage, bursting bud, and expanding flower be¬ 
come associated in the young mind with the cheering ideas of 
hope, progress, and fulfillment.” 

“ I am unwilling to interrupt your flow of eloquence, so 
powerfully exerted for a high moral purpose,” said the vicar, 
“ but never let us forget to impress upon the young mind, 
that the gratifications afforded by the contemplation of Na¬ 
ture must ever be commensurate with the knowledge of her 
laws and harmonies—that Science can call up beauties, and 
unfold charms, unknown and unperceived by the common 
observer— 

‘ A primrose by a river’s brim, 

A yellow primrose is to him, 

But it is nothing more.’ ” 

“I can assure you,” replied Mr. Seymour, “that my chief 
object in the proposed examination of the major’s flower- 
garden is to realize what you have so happily expressed, and 
which you will be pleased to remember I have advocated on 
many former occasions. It is my present intention to con¬ 
vince our young party that Science, relaxing her sterner as¬ 
pect, may be found indulging her fancy in the flower-garden, 
and may even be caught by the young florist, in a kind of 
holiday humor, coquetting with the Muses, and sporting 
amidst its gaudy parterres.” 

“If I correctly understand Mr. Seymour,” observed the 
major, “ he is prepared to point out the relations which sub¬ 
sist between certain colors, ami the agreeable arrangement of 
flowers; but before we proceed,” continued he, “ I should 
much like to ask whether those who have investigated the 
natural sources of the beautiful have not justly concluded in 
acknowledging Contrast as one of its most important con¬ 
ditions? and, if so, whether that principle should not be 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


357 


carried out in the arrangement and distribution of our flow¬ 
ers ?” 

Mr. Seymour admitted, without any hesitation, that Con¬ 
trast necessarily entered into all our conceptions of the beau¬ 
tiful ; “ for,” said he, “ without darkness, we should be scarce¬ 
ly conscious of the reality of light; and it is equally evident 
that, to render light charming to the senses, we must have 
shade as an accompanying contrast; even the rainbow owes 
much of its beauty to the dark cloud of rain, upon which its 
gorgeous colors appear in such striking opposition. And 
when does the clear blue sky ever appear so lively and 
charming, as when viewed through the openings of shadow 
ing trees ?” 

M Nothing can he more true, according to my views and 
experience,” observed the vicar; “ and let me ask, in my turn, 
wherein would he found the beauties of the most magnificent 
temples of Greece, if deprived of the happy alternation of 
lights and shadows ? And as to our Gothic edifices, 1 have 
always regarded their tracery, moldings, and projecting 
ornaments as ingenious traps for catching them.” 

“ If so,” exclaimed the major, “ ‘may their shadows never 
he less,’ for I am a devoted admirer of Gothic architecture.” 

“There can be no doubt,” said Mr. Seymour, “that the 
alternations of light and shade are always pleasing to the im¬ 
agination, and indeed they constitute a striking feature of the 
beautiful; and I think I may be justified in comparing colors 
when unrelieved by judicious contrast, to lights without shad¬ 
ows, or shadows without lights.” 

“ How vividly does this conversation recall to my recollec¬ 
tion the delight I experienced, last summer, on the downs of 
Sussex, during a short residence at Eastbourne,” said Miss 
Villers, “ when, on a breezy day, masses of cloud were rap¬ 
idly driven across the clear sky, and sunshine and shadow, 
like wild spirits, chased each other over hill and dale! The 
bright gleam, as it advanced, shed joy and gladness from its 
golden wings; while the broad shadow that followed in its 
train, although for the moment it might sober this feeling of 




358 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


exhilaration, served at the same time to heighten the expect¬ 
ed pleasure of another bright alternation.” 

Mr. Seymour told his fair companion that it was only un¬ 
der circumstances such as she had so poetically described, 
that sunlight proclaims its undisputed dominion over our in¬ 
ward feelings : “ It is then,” said he, “ that we yield to the 
impressions of Nature in one of her most pleasing moods, and 
discover that sympathetic relations subsist between her exter¬ 
nal operations and our own internal sensations.” 

I think we may venture to say, that those who, perchance, 
have read this description by Miss Yillers, will readily ac¬ 
knowledge that they have experienced the same feelings un¬ 
der similar circumstances. 

“A m I then to understand, without further discussion, 
that the arrangement of our flowers is to be directed 'by tjie 
simple law of contrast of colors ?” asked the major. 

“Not exactly: there is another and a higher consideration 
to guide us—a principle depending upon optical laws; to ex¬ 
plain and illustrate which I consider to be my special mis¬ 
sion,” answered Mr. Seymour. 

“ Nunc agite , pueri. Now, boys, for a holiday frolic with 
Science in the flower-garden!” joyously shouted the vicar. 

“ Very good. You are certainly at liberty to give that 
turn to my expression,” said Mr. Seymour; “ but you will 
soon perceive that the principles I am about to explain with 
reference to the arrangement of flowers, will admit of far 
more extensive and important applications, or I should have 
scarcely considered it worth while to enter upon their con¬ 
sideration. After this declaration, the major will probably 
allow me to proceed without further interruption. Well, 
then,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ in the first place, let it be 
distinctly understood, that philosophers consider white light, 
as it emanates from the sun, as being compounded of, and 
consequently resolvable into, three primary colors, viz.— ked, 
blue, and yellow ; and that, should such colors be recom¬ 
bined, in their just proportions, they will reproduce white 
light; and that, moreover, all other colors, such as orange ? 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


359 


green , indigo , and violet , are compounds of the primaries 
just mentioned; thus, for instance, green is a compound of 
blue and yellow—orange, of red and yellow—and purple, of 
blue and red; and so on. 

“ When a body, therefore, exhibits a particular color, we 
may assume that the white light, which has fallen upon its 
surface, has been resolved into its constituent colors; of which 
some have been absorbed or extinguished,* while others have 
been reflected—the reflected rays meeting the eye are, of 
course, those which impart to the body in question its char¬ 
acteristic color : thus—if a body appear green, we infer that 
it has absorbed the red ray and reflected the blue and yellow 
ones, which, by combining, produce green. The difference 
of shade, or tone, observable in colored bodies—such, for ex¬ 
ample, as a light or dark green, or a bright or dark red— 
arises from their respective surfaces reflecting, in conjunction 
with the dominant color, other subordinate rays, with a 
greater or less admixture of white light that had escaped de¬ 
composition.” 

“ I believe,” interposed the vicar, “ that a surface never 
exclusively reflects any single kind of colored rays.” 

“ I do not believe that there is such a thing as a perfectly 
unmixed color, excepting of course those transmitted through 
the prism,” answered Mr. Seymour. 

u Well,” observed the vicar, “ I must now acknowledge the 
error into which I have fallen. You must know that, in 
anticipation of your lesson, I had prepared a top, which I 
thought, by spinning rapidly, would enable my young friend 
to comprehend more readily your theory. I divided its upper 
surface by radii into three compartments, corresponding to 
the-relative areas occupied by the three primitive colors; 
and I fully expected that, during the rapid revolution of the 
top, I should so combine these colors as to have produced a 

* When we say that certain rays are absorbed, we use a figurative expres¬ 
sion to denote that they have vanished, without reference to the mode of 
action by which the effect is produced. 




360 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


pure white; but instead of that, I only obtained a dull and 
dirty grayish tint.” 

u And I hope you now fully understand the cause of your 
disappointment,” said Mr. Seymour. “ Could you have ob-. 
tained colors, as pure as those of the prism, you would, 
beyond doubt, have succeeded. In carrying out our theory, 
however, we are bound to consider the colors as pure, so that 
the union of any one with the other two shall produce white 
light. Mow, the colors standing in such relations to each 
other are very significantly said to be complementary of each 
other. Thus, red is complementary of green, that is, of blue 
and yellow, because, to form white light, red must be added 
to such colors. So again, blue is said to be complementary 
of orange; although, in some of the more complicated colors, 
it is not always easy to fix upon their exact complements.” 

Mr. Seymour next proceeded to consider certain effects pro¬ 
duced by white and colored light upon human vision; and 
for this purpose he thought the readiest and most satisfactory 
way would be, at once, to exhibit a simple and, as he thought, 
a very instructive and convincing experiment. He accord¬ 
ingly attached to a white card> three differently colored 
wafers, in the figure of a triangle; and stated that, if the eye 
be steadily fixed upon them for a few seconds, and then 
turned away and directed to a blank part of the card, the 
image of the wafers would be seen of the same form and 
dimensions, but in colors complementary of those of the real 
wafers. 

“Do you mean to say, papa,” asked Tom, with some sur¬ 
prise, “ that, after looking at the red wafer, I shall see its 
ghost of a green color, by merely turning my eyes to a blank 
part of the paper?” 

“ Yes, my dear boy, that is precisely my meaning; but do 
not trust my word, let your eyes judge for themselves.” 

Tom obeyed his father’s directions, and readily saw the three 
wafers of different colors, but “more faint,” as he said, “ than 
the real ones. I see,” said he, “ the red wafer now green, 
the violet one yellow, and the orange one blue.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


361 


“ I think we all now understand the meaning of comple¬ 
mentary color; I shall therefore advance another step in the 
inquiry,” said Mr. Seymour. “ The unreal, or spectral color, 
you have just witnessed, and which is always complementary 
of that of the real imago, when it is called up in the way you 
have seen, is said by M. Chevreul to he produced by Suc¬ 
cessive Contrast, to distinguish it from the optical appear¬ 
ance I am now about to exhibit, anti which lias been termed 
Simultaneous Contrast. The meaning * and value of these 
words will immediately become apparent, for since in the late 
experiment the true and complementary colors were seen suc¬ 
cessively, or the one after the other: so. in the experiment I 
am about to exhibit, the true and spectral colors will be seen 
together: the terms, therefore, successive and simultaneous 
contrasts seem especially well calculated to mark the distinc¬ 
tion. In this second experiment, I shall use the same card 
and the same wafers. Now then, Tom, I again ask you to 
gaze steadily upon the wafers, as you did before, but without 
transferring your eye to a blank part of the card, as in the 
former experiment, and tell me what you see.” 

“I see,” answered the boy, after a short interval, “the 
three wafers, each bordered by a rim of a different color; 
the red wafer has a border of green, the violet of yellow, 
and the orange one of blue.” 

The major having likewise satisfied himself by ocular 
demonstration, asked whether he was not to understand from 
what he had seen, that the eye, in viewing existing colors, 
sees also, either successively or simultaneously, phantoms of a 
complementary hue ? 

“You state the fact very clearly,” answered Mr. Seymour, 
“ for those complementary images have no existence but in 
the mind’s eye; they are mere specters called up as it were 
by enchantment, but they are nevertheless very important in 
their practical influences ; indeed I may say that they furnish 
the only rational explanation of many appearances which, 
although familiar, are not the less difficult to comprehend. 
This must be my apology for having so heavily taxed your 

31 



362 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


time and patience; and all that now remains for me to do, is 
to announce the general optical law to be deduced from them, 
viz.: That when two dissimilar colors are seen in juxtaposi¬ 
tion , or when one quiclcly succeeds the other , they will mutu¬ 
ally modify each other , ~by reciprocally imparting their 
complementary colors .” 

“Are you prepared to give us some simple instance, in 
which so modified an effect can be readily witnessed ?” asked 
the major. 

“ At once, 1 ’ answered Mr. Seymour: “ look at this bright- 
green colored book, just purchased at a railroad station, where 
hundreds of such evergreens are exposed for sale, and tell me, 
if you can, the color of its leaves.” 

“Pink,” one and all exclaimed. 

“No such thing,” said Mr. Seymour, “they are perfectly 
white, as you will acknowledge, as soon as I turn aside the 
green cover.” 

The party were perfectly astonished at this revelation, and 
amused themselves for some time by fixing their eyes upon 
the green cover, and then opening the book, in order to wit¬ 
ness the complementary color of its pages. 

“ I will relate a curious anecdote in connection with this op¬ 
tical fallacy,” said Mr. Seymour: “ being about to start on a 
railroad, I purchased at the terminus one of these green books 
to amuse myself during the journey, and on placing a shilling 
on the cover, I hastily withdrew it, under the impression 
that I had offered a copper counterfeit, but which immedi¬ 
ately regained its silvery hue, as soon as it had been removed 
from the glare of the green-eyed enchanter. I will add to 
this another similar anecdote. As I lately passed a shop in 
the Quadrant, near Regent-street, I observed in the window 
numerous small articles of silver, displayed on a bright green 
card; after gazing upon them for a few seconds they ap¬ 
peared as if deeply tarnished, an effect which I soon discov¬ 
ered was due to the complementary color cast upon them by 
the green ground on which they were exhibited.” 

“ I perceive,” said the major, “ that this optical theory 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


363 


must comprise many beautiful applications which I had not 
at first imagined.” 

“ I could point out many such illustrations which, I doubt 
not, would greatly interest you; and here again I must be 
permitted to refer to an observation to which the vicar has 
frequently drawn our attention—the distinction between 
seeing and observing, between ‘ eyes and no eyes,’ as Miss 
Edgeworth would express it. Should the philosopher travel 
through a country, a large portion of whose surface is cov¬ 
ered by a vivid green, enlivened by a bright sun, and inter¬ 
spersed with patches of plowed land, he will not fail to ob¬ 
serve that the latter assume a purplish-red color, while hun¬ 
dreds may have passed over the same road without having 
noticed, much less inquired into the cause of such an appear¬ 
ance.” 

“ I can readily understand that there may be appearances 
to be alone recognized by an experienced and inquiring eye,” 
observed the major. 

“ That is undoubtedly the case; and,” added Mr. Seymour, 
“ so also are there optical illusions which the uneducated eye 
will take for realities—thus, many of those diversified tints, 
which so charm us in the summer sunset, are mere optical 
creations, being a few bright colors multiplied by the comple¬ 
mentary images of our vision; and so also with those colors 
that occasionally flash across the restless surface of the sea; 
they are but complementary tints, which the blue or green 
waves cast upon the intervening spaces.” 

“ How all-important are these few observations, with 
which you have favored us, to the landscape painter!” said 
Miss Villers. 

“ Suppose we now, at once, adjourn to the flower-garden,” 
said the vicar, “ where our good friend will find a better op¬ 
portunity for exemplifying his principles.” 

This proposition was irci by a general assent, and, at the 
suggestion of the major, the party retired into an alcove, 
which commanded a full view of the flower-beds, while it 
aftorded an agreeable retreat from the direct rays of the sun. 



864 : 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Major,” said Mr. Seymour, “ I commend your taste in 
bringing together similar flowers in masses; but you should 
take care that the neighboring clumps, as far as possible, oc¬ 
cupy equal areas, and exhibit, as nearly as may be, complemen¬ 
tary colors; although I will take this early opportunity to 
remark, that colors which, in the aggregate, are almost repul¬ 
sive, may he tolerable, or even pleasing, when presented 
singly to the eye; for instance, masses of blue and green, un¬ 
relieved by other colors, are any thing but' agreeable when 
viewed in juxtaposition; and yet who will not hail with de¬ 
light that little blue and bright flower, the 1 Forget-me-not ,’ 
though embosomed in a mass of green?” 

“ For the present,” said the major, “ let us confine our at¬ 
tention to the arrangements of clumps, or masses; each of 
which we will suppose to consist of different flowers, but in 
such proportions and proximity, as may conduce to a recip¬ 
rocal modification of their colors; now, what I expect to ob¬ 
tain from your science is some general guiding principle for 
the arrangement and disposition of such groups.” 

“ And that information I will endeavor to afford you. In 
the first place then, take care that yotir plants are pretty 
nearly of equal magnitude, or they will resemble an awkward 
squad with tall and short recruits. Let it be, once for all 
too, remembered, that complementary colors are never in¬ 
compatible with each other, their tone, and therefore their 
beauty, being mutually heightened by a reciprocal exchange 
of complements; not that I mean to assert that non-comple- 
mentary colors are always unpleasing—I think, as a general 
rule, colors which possess a common element lose more or 
less of such element by juxtaposition.” 

“I understand your meaning: orange and green, each 
having yellow as a common element, would I presume fur¬ 
nish an example,” said the major. 

“ Undoubtedly; and see what would happen—the orange 
would appear more red, and the green more blue, or, in other 
words, each would be deprived of a portion of its yellow,” 
said Mr. Seymour. 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


365 


“That might he advantageous,” suggested the major, 
“ where the one was deficient in red, and the other in blue.” 

“ Exactly so—and the circumstance of the same color be¬ 
ing liable to vary so widely in intensity and tone must render 
it difficult, if not impossible, to lay down any general rule 
that shall not have many exceptions; but then these excep¬ 
tions will generally admit of explanation, and will serve to 
extend the field of observation, and to stimulate inquiry, and 
thus to afford additional sources of recreation • indeed, what 
many persons would regard as insuperable obstacles to any 
thing like a systematic arrangement of colored flowers, I am 
disposed to consider as affording the highest claims to our 
regard. In contemplating a group of flowers, the scientific 
observer will often experience an intuitive feeling of pleasure, 
or it may be, an undefined impression of dissatisfaction; he 
will then proceed to examine into the harmonies which may 
explain the one, and to seek for the discords that may enable 
him to correct the other—this exercise of the mind consti¬ 
tutes the main pleasure of floral gardening, which never could 
be derived from a system *under the dominion of defined and 
invariable laws.” 

“ I think you just now stated that green and yellow are 
not well-assorted companions,” observed the vicar ; “ if so, I 
should much like to ask you upon what principle it is that 
the green woods so greatly delight the eye on assuming the 
livery of autumn?” 

“ Therein you are deceived,” answered Mr. Seymour: “ the 
green passing into yellow is very far from pleasing; the au¬ 
tumnal tints really owe their beauty to their rich and almost 
endless variety; and I suspect, if it were possible to unweave 
their gorgeous texture, we should find that the assemblage 
was resolvable into groups of complementary colors. I think,” 
continued Mr. Seymour, “it must be admitted that colors 
bearing too close analogy with each other, unless judiciously 
relieved, will suffer by juxtaposition. 1 am also disposed to 
think you will admit, that the different shades of the same 
color disparage each other : only look at yonder bed of Dah- 

31 * 



366 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


lias, and say whether they would not be much heightened 
in beauty by the intermixture of others of somewhat of a 
complementary character; and so is it with the golden Jon¬ 
quil, when placed side by side with the pale Narcissus , the 
white light of the latter dimming the luster of the former by 
its complementary sable, while the complementary green of 
the former imparts an injurious hue to the delicacy of the lat¬ 
ter. Let me now, by way of further illustration, direct your 
attention to yonder Roses ; those in the bed on the right have 
far too much yellow to please my eye; they almost assume a 
faded appearance; while those on the left are too much in¬ 
clined to blue: now, I would propose, with the major’s con¬ 
sent, to bring some strong yellow flowers in contact with the 
former, and some purple ones in contact with the latter, and 
I believe these defects would disappear.” 

“ I do not think that your critical eye can find any fault 
with those blue flowers next to the orange ones,” observed 
the vicar. 

“ No, indeed—nor with the violet contiguous to the yel¬ 
low ; they appear most cheerful in each other’s company; 
in fact, there are few flowers in the garden in better accord 
with each other, unless you disturb their harmony by some 
unwelcome intrusion; but just look at that dull bed of green, 
near the yellow flowers; on the right of which, near the 
sun-dial, you will see a similar bed, but then it is in conjunc¬ 
tion with a cluster of the vivid red Verbena , which lights it 
up, as it were, with a borrowed splendor, and at once re¬ 
deems it from the somber appearance which characterizes the 
former one. You have another good instance of what may 
be called an ill-matched alliance in yonder beds of Nastur¬ 
tium and Purple Poppies: instead of the natural lively scar¬ 
let, the former assume a dull orange tint, in consequence of a 
greenish-orange complement cast upon them; while the lat¬ 
ter, oppressed by the greenish-purple complement of the 
Nasturtium , exhibit a tint almost as dull as wine lees.” 

“You have not yet said one word about white flowers,” 
observed Miss Villers. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


367 


“ True, madam — generally speaking, a clump of white 
flowers seen apart will produce but little effect; when, how¬ 
ever, they are suitably distributed among those whose colors 
have been judiciously contrasted, they will occasion a favor¬ 
able impression; as, for instance, when dispersed among red 
and pink flowers, surrounded by verdure, or among groups 
of blue and orange, and of violet and yellow flowers; you 
will readily perceive that their optical influence will have the 
effect of extinguishing any excessive or undue reflection of 
white rays emanating from the neighboring bright flowers, 
and would thereby purify and heighten their tone.” 

Miss Yillers here begged to ask a question respecting the 
influence of a predominating green. 

Mr. Seymour replied “ that the green leaves of flowers did 
not interfere to the extent generally supposed, since, as soon 
as the eye distinctly and simultaneously sees two colors in a 
rich flower-bed, the attention is so riveted upon them, that 
it passes without notice the contiguous objects which lie in 
a receding plane, and are of a somber color; besides which, 
it is a fact that green, in juxtaposition with a mass of bright 
yellow and blue, so nearly loses its color as to be scarcely 
recognized, and will certainly not intrude with any optical 
impertinence.” 

“ After the valuable lesson we have received,” said the 
major, “ I think we shall be able to improve greatly the ar¬ 
rangement of my garden. You will be pleased, my dear sir, 
to accept my best thanks—and what says Miss Yillers ?” 

“ That Madam Flora holds a most punctilious court; and 
expects her flaunting subjects to adopt their costume in strict 
accordance with the colored dresses with which they may 
be brought into contact,” answered the lady. 

To whom Mr. Seymour replied “ that Flora was not the 
only sovereign distinguished by such exactions.” 

“I understand your allusion,” said Miss Yillers: “you 
would intimate that the optical principles you have explained 
might admit of a wider range of application than that which 
comprehends the domain of Flora; that they might, for in 





368 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


stance, suggest to my sex a more harmonious mixture in their 
colored ribbons and dresses.” 

“ No doubt—Count Rumford long ago made a similar ob¬ 
servation; but, strange to say, it has passed unheeded. I 
fully hope, however, that the exertions of the new 4 School 
of Design’ will introduce a purer taste as regards the harmo¬ 
ny and disposition of colors, not only in dress, but in furni¬ 
ture, and every species of decoration—but what thinks the 
vicar?” 

“ That you have well performed the / part of the Sibyl, and 
safely conducted us through Elysian fields, wherein you have 
introduced us to phantoms and spectral forms of the highest 
interest for our instruction, no less than for our amusement; 
and, as truth alone has been the object we have sought, it 
only remains for you to dismiss us safely through the appro¬ 
priate portal.” 

“ I quite understand your meaning,” said Mr. Seymour, 
“ though artfully concealed under the shadow of the Muses’ 
wing. You admit the truth of the optical theory I have ex¬ 
pounded, but would, at the same time, caution us against the 
danger of being led by the fascinations of fancy to an exag¬ 
gerated estimate of the importance of its applications; a cau¬ 
tion which I can assure you I very sincerely appreciate.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


369 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

A NEW OPTICAL TOY INVENTED BY THE AUTHOR, AND TERMED THE 
THAUMATROPE.—THE VICARS LUDICROUS ALARM AT ITS ANNOUNCE¬ 
MENT.-EXPLANATION OF ITS PRINCIPLE.-RETENTIVE POWER OF 

THE RETINA.-SPECTRAL, OR ACCIDENTAL COLORS.—THE CROSS OF 

CONSTANTINE.-SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE THAUMATROPE. 

-OTHER TOYS UPON THE SAME OPTICAL PRINCIPLE.-PHANTASMA- 

SCOPE.-PH^ENAKISTISCOPE.-IMPORTANT CONCLUSION OF THE CHAP¬ 

TER. 


Tom’s holidays were now drawing to a close, and the chil¬ 
dren were summoned into the library to receive their last 
lesson in philosophy. 

“You have lately witnessed an experiment,” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, “ which must have convinced you how liable the ear 
is to he deluded with respect to the nature and direction of 
sound; I shall now show you that the eye has also its sources 
of fallacy.” 

“ If you proceed in this manner, you will make us Carte- 
sigjis,”* exclaimed the vicar. 

“I shall illustrate my subject by means of a new toy 

* The Cartesians maintained that the senses were the great sources of de¬ 
ception ; that every thing with which they present us ought to be suspected 
as false, or at least dubious, until our reason has confirmed the report. 




370 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


which I have lately invented,” said Mr. Seymour; “ and un¬ 
less I am much mistaken, it will afford as much amusement 
to the elder as to the younger members of our party, although 
the vicar may perhaps regard it as a more hostile instrument 
than even that of the wooden horse which filled unhappy 
Troy with an armed enemy. It is a small machine,” contin¬ 
ued Mr. Seymour, “which is well calculated to furnish us 
with some capital puns and well-pointed epigrams.” 

“ With puns!” exclaimed the horrified vicar, who no soonei 
lieard this appalling declaration, than, like another Laocoon, 
he deprecated the introduction of the “donum exitiale ” 
within the walls of Overton Lodge. But his hostility was 
soon disarmed, not by the circumvolutions of a snake around 
the body of the enraged orator, but by the embraces of little 
Rosa, who threw her arms around the neck of the vicar with 
such supplicating grace, that at length he exclaimed, “ Well, 
well; if it be the decree of the Fates, I must submit.” 

During this altercation, Mr. Seymour had procured the 
“ wooden engine” from his study. 

“I will first,” said he, “ exhibit the toy in its original state, 
and then show you the improvements which have been 
effected in it.” 

“ Let us hear the account of its operation,” said the major, 
“ which I perceive is inclosed within the box.” 

“True,” replied Mr. Seymour; “and I think you will 
agree that I have given a very plausible explanation of its 
effects.” 

“Plausible,” muttered the vicar, “plausible enough, no 
doubt; oh, the-Sinon!” 

Mr. Seymour then proceeded. “This toy is termed the 

THATJMATKOPE.” 

“Of Grecian origin!” observed the vicar. “‘ Timeo Da- 
naos et dona ferentes ,’ as Virgil has it.” 

“ What is the meaning of the term ?” asked Louisa. 

The vicar explained to her that it was compounded of the 
Greek words Gav^a and rpmo; the former of which signified 
wonder, the latter to turn. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


371 


u Exactly,” replied Mr. Seymour: “ ‘ a Wonder-turner' or 
a toy which performs wonders by turning round: hut let me 
proceed in the explanation.” He then continued to read as 
follows: “ This philosophical toy is founded upon the well- 
known optical principle, that an impression made on the 
retina of the eye lasts for a short interval after the object 
which produced it has been withdrawn. During the rapid 
whirling of the card, the figures on each of its sides are pre¬ 
sented with such quick transition, that they both appear at 
the same instant, and thus occasion a very striking and magi¬ 
cal effect. On each of these cards a device is introduced, 
with an appropriate motto or epigram ; the point of which is 
answered, or explained, by the change which the figure 
assumes during the rapid whirling of the card.” 

“It may be very clever,” said the vicar, “but I do not 
understand it.” 

“ But you shortly will; look at one of the cards.” 

Mr. Seymour then displayed a pasteboard circle, on one 
side of which was figured a rat, and on the other a cage: 
two strings were fastened in its axis, by which the card could 
easily be made to revolve, by means of the thumb and finger. 
Fearing that some of our readers may be as dull of compre¬ 
hension as the vicar, we have introduced a sketch of the ap¬ 
paratus, in which both sides of the card are exhibited, with 
the strings by which it is whirled round. 



Ho sooner had Mr. Seymour put the card in motion, than 
the vicar, in a tone of the greatest surprise, exclaimed, 
“Magic! magic! I declare the rat is in the cage!!” 

“ And what is the motto ?” asked Louisa. 







372 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


“ Why is this rat like an opposition member in the House 
of Commons who joins the ministry?” replied Mr. Sey¬ 
mour. 

“ Ha, ha, ha!—excellent!” cried the major, as he read the 
following answer: “Because by turning round he gains a 
snug birth, but ceases to be free.” 

“ The very reverse to what occurred m ancient Rome, 
where the slave became free by turning round,” observed the 
vicar. 

The vicar, no d6ubt, alluded to the custom of making a 
freeman as described by Persius; from which it appears, 
that the clapping a cap* on the head, and giving him a turn 
on the heel, were necessary circumstances. A slave thus 
qualified became a citizen of Rome, and was honored with a 
name more than belonged to any of his forefathers, which 
Persius has repeated with a great deal of humor in his fifth 
satire: 

“ . . . . Heu steriles veri, quibus una Quiritem 
Vertigo facit!” 

“ That false enfranchisement with ease is found; 

Slaves are made citizens by turning round.” 

Dryden. 

“ If we may trust the late report of the American Congress, 
your ‘ Thaumatrope■ has also found a political application on 
the other side of the Atlantic,” observed the major ; “for it 
would appear that the Honorable Member of Ohio told the 
Honorable Member of Carolina, whom he twitted with sud¬ 
den tergiversation, that he reminded him of the hoy who 
turned round so fast, that the hinder parts of his dress were 
on doth sides at once. v f 

“Show us another card,” said Tom eagerly. 

“ Here, then, is a watch-box; when I turn it round, you 
will see the watchman comfortably sleeping at his post.” 

“ Very good! It is very surprising,” said the vicar. 

* Hence the Cap became the symbol of Liberty, 
t “ Times,” March 2,1852. 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


373 


“Yes,” observed the major; “and to carry on your 
political joke, it may be said that, like most worthies who 
gain a post, by turning round , he sleeps over his duty.” 

“ The epigram which accompanies it is not deficient in 
point,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ The caprice of this watchman surpasses all bounds, 

He ne’er sits in his box, but when going his rounds ; 

While he no sooner rests, ’tis a strange paradox ! 

Than he flies from his post, and turns out of his box!” 

“ What have you there?” exclaimed the vicar; “ arms and 
legs, without a body?” 

“ Yes,” replied Mr. Seymour; “ and which, on turning 
round, will present the figure of a king, invested with all the 
insignia of royalty.” 

“It is indeed a king. Look at his crown and scepter!” 
cried Louisa. 

“ How for the epigram,” said the major, who then read 
the following lines: 

“ Head, legs, and arms, alone appear; 

Observe that nobody is here : 

Napoleon-like, I undertake 
Of nobody a king to make.” 

The next card presented a laughing face, which, on being 
turned round, was instantly changed into a weeping one. 
The motto— The sweetest things turn sour. 

“The device is capital!” exclaimed the vicar: “I question 
whether Peter of Cortona ever produced a more striking 
metamorphosis.”* 

The other cards were now exhibited in succession, of which 
the box contained eighteen, and the whole party, not even 

* Ferdinand, duke of Tuscany, was once struck with the picture of a child 
crying; the artist (Peter of Cortona), who was at work upon the head, wish¬ 
ing to give a proof of his skill, by a few judicious touches converted the crying 
into a laughing face. The duke was in astonishment; the painter, to show 
himself master of the human countenance, restored his first touches, and the 
duke again saw the child weeping. 

. 82 



374 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


excepting the vicar, were highly gratified with the amuse¬ 
ment. 

“ But I have not yet read to you the author’s address to 
the public; and which, I must say, contains a succession of 
very happy puns.” 

“Spare me! spare me!” cried the vicar; “I like your 
toy, but cannot discover the advantage of alloying amuse¬ 
ment with such spurious wit, and of associating science with 
buffoonery.” 

Mr. Seymour, however, was relentless, and thus proceeded: 
“ II is well known that the Laputan philosopher invented a 
piece of machinery, by which works could be composed by a 
mechanical operation; and the ‘ Quarterly Review’ has assert¬ 
ed, that a certain English poem was fabricated in Paris, by 
the powers of a steam-engine; but the author of the present 
invention claims for himself the exclusive merit of having 
first constructed a hand-mill, by which puns and epigrams 
may be turned with as much ease as tunes are played on the 
hand-organ, and old jokes so rounded and changed, as to as¬ 
sume all the airs of originality. The inventor confidently 
anticipates the favor and patronage of an enlightened and 
liberal public, on the well-grounded assurance, that ‘ one good 
turn deserves another;’ and he trusts that his discovery may 
afford the happy means of giving activity to wit that has 
been long stationary ; of revolutionizing the present system 
of standing jokes, and of putting into rapid circulation the 
most approved bon-mots.” 

“ Why, vicar, what ails thee ?” exclaimed the major. 

“ Our subject has given him a turn ; let him alone and he 
will soon come round" observed Mr. Seymour. 

The whole party, with the exception of Mr. Twaddleton, 
laughed heartily; the vicar, however, did not relax a feature 
of his countenance; nor would he “ though Nestor swear 
the jest be laughable.”* 

As soon as this ebullition had subsided, the major inquired 


* Bhakspeare, 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


375 


of Mr. Seymour, what was the nature of the improvement 
to which he had alluded. 

“ My proposed improvements refer both to the subjects ex¬ 
hibited on the cards, and to the mechanism by which their 
changes are effected,” replied Mr. Seymour. 

“ In the first place, it has occurred to me that this amusing 
toy might be made instrumental in impressing classical sub¬ 
jects upon the memory of young persons.” 

This observation delighted the vicar, who said that he 
would patronize such an attempt with all his heart. 

“ Why can we not,” continued he, “ thus represent the 
Metamorphoses of Ovid ? or what say you, vicar, to con¬ 
verting the fleet of iEneas into sea-nymphs, as Virgil has it?” 

“ An elegant thought! upon my word; a most elegant 
conception!” exclaimed Mr. Twaddleton. 

“What have we here?” interrupted the major, who had, 
for the first time, noticed the superscription on the cover of the 
box; “had I seen this before, I should have augured favor¬ 
ably of the toy : it is like the sign of an inn, which is held 
out to announce good entertainment within.” He then read 
the following: 

The Thaumatrope; 
being 

Rounds of Amusement, 
or 

How to please and surprise 
By Turns. 

Mr. Seymour now proceeded to explain more fully the opti¬ 
cal theory of the instrument, which neither Louisa nor Tom 
could, as yet, thoroughly understand. 

He told them that an object was seen by the eye, in con¬ 
sequence of its image being delineated on the retina, or optic 
nerve, which is situated on the back part of the eye; and 
that it had been ascertained, by experiment, that the impres¬ 
sion which the mind thus receives lasts for about the eighth 
part of a second after the image is removed. “ It is. there¬ 
fore, sufficiently evident,” said Mr. Seymour, “that if any 



376 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


Joint, as a lighted stick, be made to revolve, so as to complete 
the circle in that period, we shall not see a fiery point, but a 
fiery circle; because the impression made by it in every point 
of its circuit will remain until it comes round again to the 
spot from which it set out;—but we will at once exemplify 
this fact by an experiment.” 

Tom was accordingly directed to procure a piece of stick 
and a candle; and as soon as they were brought into the 
room, Mr. Seymour ignited the end of the stick and whirled 
it round, when a bright circle, without any intervals of dark¬ 
ness, was seen by the whole party. 

“[Never until this instant,” exclaimed the vicar, with an 
expression of high satisfaction, “ did I fully appreciate the 
beauty of that passage in Milton, wherein the poet evidently 
describes the rapidity of Satan’s flight, as well as the reful¬ 
gence of his appearance— 

* Sprung upward like a pyramid of fire.’ 

Now to take in the full meaning of this figure,” continued 
Mr. Twaddleton, “ we must imagine ourselves in chaos, and 
that a vast luminous body is rising near the spot where we 
may be supposed to be standing, so swiftly as to appear a 
continued track of light, and lessening to the view, according 
to the increase of distance, until it ends in a point and then 
disappears; and all this must be supposed to strike our eye 
at one instant.” 

“ It is very probable,” said Mr. Seymour, “ that the poet 
had such an idea in view, and that he intended by it to con¬ 
vey the immense rapidity of Satan’s flight. Homer makes 
use of the same figure to express the velocity of the jave¬ 
lin, <5 oA(x<5<tk:ov eyx°S' the 1 long-shadowed ’ javelin. We shall 
have ample proof of the effect of this power in the eye of re' 
taining impressions, and of thus converting points into lines 
and circles, during the exhibition of your fireworks; and 
which, in fact, derive the greater part of their magical effect 
from it.” 

“ The pin-wheel is certainly nothing more than a fiery cir- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


377 


cle produced by the rapid revolution of a jet of flame,” said 
the vicar. 

“And the rocket,” added Mr. Seymour, “is a column of 
light occasioned by the same rapid movement of a burning 
body in a rectilinear or curved direction.” 

“ I perfectly understand all that you have said,” observed 
Tom. 

“ Then you will not have any difficulty in explaining the 
action of the Thaumatrope, for it depends upon the same opti¬ 
cal principle; the impression made on the retina by the 
image, which is delineated on one side of the card, is not 
erased before that which is painted on • the opposite side is 
presented to the eye; and the consequence is, that you see 
both sides at once.” 

“ Or, you might put it in this way,”said the major: “that 
as the image remains the eighth of a second on the retina, a 
revolution of eight times in a second will secure its uninter¬ 
rupted continuance.” 

“ On turning round the card,” observed Louisa, “ I perceive 
that every part of the figure is not equally distinct.” 

“ Because every part of the card does not revolve with the 
same velocity,” said her father; “ and this fact offers a good 
illustration of what I formerly stated,* that in circular mo¬ 
tion, the parts more remote from the axis of rotation are 
those which move with the greater velocity. This toy will 
also be found capable of exemplifying another truth to which 
I Lave before alluded, that the ‘ axis of motion remains at 
rest, while all the parts revolve round it. 5 ”t 

“I remember that very well,” exclaimed Tom. 

“ Then take the card and spin it between yourself and the 
window, and tell me what you observe,” said his father. 

“ I see a dark line across the window; and what is very 
strange, the other parts of the card appear transparent; for 
they do not obstruct the view of the window, as they would 
if the card were at rest.” 

“ The dark line you see is the axis of rotation; which, be- 
* Page J72, t Page 68. 


32* 




378 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


ing stationary, necessarily excludes the light; the other parts 
being in motion do not remain a sufficient time to obliterate 
the image made on the eye by the window. It is true that 
the card disk passes between your eye and the light, but, as 
it does not continue at any one point for more than the 
eighth of a second, there is no more apparent intermission 
of the light than what occurs during the winking of the 
eyes.” 

“ You allude to a very curious fact,” observed the vicar, 
“that, although we are perpetually covering the eyeballs 
with our eyelids, we are not conscious of the intervals of 
darkness.” 

“ The reason of which must surely be obvious from the 
explanation I have just offered,” said Mr. Seymour: “ the 
sensation of light is not exchanged for that of darkness in so 
short a period as the twinkling of the eye. Before we quit 
the subject,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ let me point out the 
great importance of this law of vision. Suppose the image 
on the retina had vanished at the same time with the with¬ 
drawal of the object; we should, in that case, have been un¬ 
able to see the things immediately around us in due connec¬ 
tion with each other; the objects must have appeared isola¬ 
ted, in detached parts, by means of separate impressions 
which the eye would be unable to combine into a whole, un¬ 
less indeed they came to us at a very acute angle.” 

“ I admit the plausibility of your theory,” said the vicar; 
“but it appears to me that objects frequently linger on the 
sight for a longer period than that which you assign to them. 
I well remember seeing the flame of a candle for several sec¬ 
onds after it had been suddenly withdrawn from the apart¬ 
ment.” 

“ I admit that strong lights frequently continue for some 
time thus visible in the ‘ mind’s eyeand it is well known 
that such impressions are often followed by images of similar 
shape, successively assuming different colors. In passing 
from sunshine to a dark room, we also frequently witness the 
appearance of stars and circles of vari-colored light; but 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


379 


these ‘ ocular spectra ’ are very distinct from the phenomena 
of the Thaumatrope, and are to be explained upon very dif¬ 
ferent principles.” 

“ There is also another optical appearance which the knowl¬ 
edge yon acquired in the flower-garden at Osterley Park will 
enable you fully to understand—I allude to the spectral im¬ 
ages which become visible after intently gazing upon a color¬ 
ed object, and which you will remember, upon the principle 
of '‘Successive Contrast,'* are always of a complementary 
color.” 

“I know exactly to what you allude,” said the major; 
“ and I do not doubt but that many of those illusive ap¬ 
pearances which have been described might be referred to 
the operation of the same natural cause. It is easy to im¬ 
agine that a person who has steadfastly fixed his eyes upon 
an illuminated object may for some minutes afterward see 
the same figure of a dark hue ; it may have been from such 
a cause that Constantine saw the image of a cross in the sky. 
You are probably acquainted with the opinions of Eusebius, 
Fabricius, and Dr. Lardner, upon this alleged miracle.” 

“ Yes,” added the vicar, “ and I also know that this im¬ 
puted miracle for the conversion of Constantine gave origin 
to the Catholic custom of illuminating the cross of St. Peter’s 
in Pome.” 

u Sir David Brewster, in his work on Natural Magic, has 
given us a beautiful illustration of the same principle; it is 
as follows,” said Mr. Seymour. “ A figure dressed in Mack, 
and mounted upon a white horse, was riding along exposed 
to the bright rays of the sun, which through a small opening 
in the clouds was throwing its lighk only upon that part of 
the landscape. The Mack figure was projected against a 
white cloud, and the white horse shone with particular bril¬ 
liancy by its contrast with the dark soil against which it was 
seen. A person interested in the arrival of such a stranger 
had been for some time following his movements with intense 
anxiety; but, upon his disappearance behind a wood, was 
* See chapter xxil. p. 861. 



380 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


surprised to observe the specter of the mounted stranger in 
the form of a white rider upon a black steed, and this specter 
was seen for some time in the sky, or upon any pale ground 
to which the eye was directed.” 

Miss Villers here remarked that she “ had a distant recol¬ 
lection of a somewhat similar appearance having been re¬ 
corded by Goethe.”* 

Mr. Seymour added that “ from the same cause a devotee 
before an image might see its spectral form whichever way 
he turned his eyes; or he might see a luminous border around 
the head of the saint.” 

“ That I can readily believe,” observed the major : “in the 
former case the appearance would arise from Successive , in 
the latter from Simultaneous contrast.—It is gratifying to 
observe to what an extensive range of subjects this apparent¬ 
ly trivial fact is applicable.” 

“But let us return to the subject of the Tliaumatrope,” 
said Mr. Seymour. “Behold!” continued he, “the Trojan 
ships!” 

“Ay, ay, sure enough,” said the vicar; “but let me see, 
are their forms according to ancient authority? Very well 
indeed, Mr. Seymour; very well: the poops have the bend 
so accurately described by Ovid and Virgil—‘ puppesque re¬ 
curves, ’ as the poet has it. And there is the triton; but is 
its size in proportion to the vessel? Yes, sir, you are doubt¬ 
less correct, the figure is generally represented of considera- 
able magnitude on ancient medals; and Silius Italicus, if my 
memory serves me, alludes to the weight of the image having 
on some occasions contributed to the wreck of the vessel.” 

“ Spin them round,” said Mr. Seymour. 

The vicar complied; exclaiming at the same moment, 

* The appearance referred to is thus described by Goethe, in his work on 
colors: “ As it was growing twilight, a black poodle ran by my window in 
the street, and drew a clear shining appearance after him; the undefined 
Image of his passing form remaining in the eye." According to his own ac¬ 
knowledgment, this optical illusion had suggested the introduction of the black 
dog in his poem of Faust, in which it is described “as ranging through the 
corn and stubble, with a line of fire following upon his track.” 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


381 


u ‘ Vos ite solutes. Ite decs pelagi .’ They are positively con¬ 
verted into sef#nymphs. ‘ Miribile monstrum P ” cried Mr. 
Twaddleton. 

“Here is another classical device; the representation of 
Eurydice, as she fell lifeless at the moment Orpheus turned 
round to gaze on her,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Charming! charming! I perceive that it is a copy from 
the splendid print of Didot in the Paris edition of Virgil.” 

“ Turn it round, vicar.” 

“ See! see! she revives, she opens her eyes, and throws 
her arms around the neck of her frantic lover. Truly, Mr. 
Seymour, this is a most interesting toy,” said Mr. Twaddleton. 

Mr. Seymour here observed that he had written an epigram 
to accompany the subject they had just witnessed, and he 
trusted that he had given to it a classical turn. 

“ By all means read it; the subject admits of much classi¬ 
cal decoration,” observed the vicar. 

Louisa received the epigram from the hands of her father, 
and read as follows: 

“ By turning round, ’tis said, that Orpheus lost his wife ; 

Let him turn round again, and she’ll return to life.” 

It could not be expected that Mr. Twaddleton should have 
admired lines so burdened with puns; but he quietly ob¬ 
served, “ I should have preferred a quotation from the fourth 
Georgic, so beautifully descriptive of the fable.” 

The next card that was presented for inspection exhibited 
the metamorphosis of Daphne into a laurel. As the figure 
revolved, the leaves were seen sprouting from her fingers, 
and her arms lengthening into branches. 

“ Come now,” said Mr. Seymour, “ let us exhibit the fig¬ 
ure which has been designed at my request: the change 
which it will undergo during its revolution may, I trust, on 
some day be realized; I only regret that it is not in my pow¬ 
er to give the vicar so good a turn.” 

“ Really, if, like Cr.-.mbe in Martinus Scriblerus, thou hadst 
a word for every day in the year, I should certainly say 



382 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


that you were this day under the dominion of the word 
turn .” 

“ You know this resemblance,” said Mr. Seymour, as he 
showed the figure painted on one side of the card to his 
daughter. 

“It is the vicar!” exclaimed Louisa. 

It was, indeed, a portrait of that most excellent character, 
represented in the costume in which he usually appeared. 

“ Turn it round,” said Mr. Seymour. 

Louisa twirled the cord, and the effect of the rotation was 
to convert the humble vicar into the dignified bishop; his 
meager form was instantly changed into a corpulent figure, 
which was still further inflated by the addition of the episco 
pal robes and lawn sleeves, while his angular features were 
softened by the graceful curves of an immense wig. 

“ I will give you a motto for it,” said the major, “ and may 
it be prophetic !—kapid preferment.” 

“ I will now show you the improvement which has been 
effected in the construction and use of this toy,” said Mr. 
Seymour. “ It consists in altering the axis of rotation while 
the card is in the act-of revolving, in order that the images 
on its opposite sides may be brought into different positions 
with respect to each other.” 

“ There cannot be any doubt that such would be the effect, 
were it possible to change the axis in the way you propose: 
but how is this to be effected ?” asked the vicar. 

“At first I attempted to produce the change by the addition 
of several other strings, but I soon found, that, in order to 
avail myself of this expedient, I should be obliged to stop the 
card before I could alter the axis; whereas my great object, 
as I have just stated, was to produce the change while the 
card was in the act of spinning,” answered Mr. Seymour. 

“And I shrewdly suspect that such must necessarily be the 
case, adopt whatever expedient you may,” observed the major. 

“ Mo indeed ; I have at length succeeded to my entire sat¬ 
isfaction, and that too by a most simple scheme, after having 
tried without success many very complicated contrivances.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


383 


The party were very desirous of witnessing the triumph of 
skill, and Mr. Seymour produced the card with its appen¬ 
dages, of which we shall here present our readers with an 
engraving: 

Fig. l. 



In all respects the card is constructed like the common 
Thaumatrope; the subject, it will he perceived, is that of a 
man drinking, the bottle being placed on one side, and the 
head on the other; upon revolving the card, in the ordinary 
manner, the two images will appear together as represent¬ 
ed in 


Fig. 2. 



The improvement consists in inserting in one, or if a still 
greater change be desired, in both sides of the card, two 
strings, as seen in fig. 1; viz. a d and a e, which, united at 
a, form a common string for twirling the card. The cord a d 
is elastic, while the string a e is incapable of being stretched. 
If, therefore, while the card is in the act of spinning, the cord 
a d be pulled with an increased force, it will take the position 
d o, while the inelastic string a e will at the same time as- 





384 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


sume that of e o. The consequence of which will be that, 
instead of the card spinning on the axis in the direction a b, 
it will now spin on that which is in the direction o b, and we 
shall accordingly see the images on the opposite sides of the 
card in different positions with respect to each other; at one 
moment the bottle will be seen in the hand of the drinker as 
represented in fig. 2, and in the next at his month, as shown 
in the cut below : 



while, by alternately tightening and relaxing the string, the 
figure will be seen in the very act of raising and lowering 
the bottle. 

Mr. Seymour, having explained the principle of his improve¬ 
ment, as we have above related, proceeded to exemplify it by- 
a series of different subjects. We shall select two or three 
of them for the sake of illustration. A card, with a jockey 
on one side and a horse on the other, on spinning round pre¬ 
sented the combined figure; upon tightening the string, in 
the manner we have described, the card changed its axis, 
without the slightest halt or hesitation in its rotation, and the 
rider was in an instant canted over the head of his charger; 
in a moment, however, he appeared remounted ; after which, 
by pulling the string with different degrees of force, he was 
made to stand on the saddle, and to exhibit a number of dif¬ 
ferent movements. 

The figure of an Indian juggler was represented in the act 
of throwing up two balls; on spinning the card, and at the 
same time altering the position of the circle, in the manner 





MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


385 


already described, three, and afterward four, became visible. 
When the card revolved upon its original axis, two of the 
balls on the reverse side coincided with the two painted on 
the front, so that during the revolution they fell upon the 
same spot on the retina, and therefore produced a single im¬ 
pression ; but as soon as the position of the card was changed, 
these spots were brought upon different points, and conse¬ 
quently produced separate and independent images. By alter¬ 
nately tightening and relaxing the strings, the balls were seen 
in motion, arising from and falling into the hand of the juggler. 

The next subject which we shall describe produced a con¬ 
siderable degree of merriment. The vicar inspected the draw¬ 
ing, and observed tha-t he saw a pulpit placed on the banks 
of a pond; the card was made to spin, when a tailor was 
seen haranguing from the former, and a goose, at the same 
instant, fluttering over the water. The circle was now sud¬ 
denly shifted, and the vicar was desired to state what he 
saw: “Why, bless me!” exclaimed Mr. Twaddleton, “the 
tailor is justly served; he is ducked in the pond, while the 
goose has taken his place in the pulpit.” 

Fearing that we may have exhausted the patience of our 
reader, we shall only relate one more example. It was a 
Turk, who, by means of the expedient we are illustrating, 
was made to draw his saber, and cut off the head of his an¬ 
tagonist, which immediately fell into the hands of the decap¬ 
itated person, who, like St. Denys, appeared as if walking off 
with perfect indifference. 

“You must admit that these effects are no less novel than 
they are extraordinary, and that they are capable of almost 
endless variation,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ I admit it all,” replied Mr. Twaddleton, “ and I have only 
to express a hope that, amidst all your improvements, you 
will never lose sight of your first and most laudable design, 
that of rendering your toy subservient to classical illustra¬ 
tion : your triumph will then be complete, and I shall wil 
lingly acknowledge that there is not only philosophy but lit- 
eraturc- in your sport.” 


38 



386 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ I must not quit this subject,” said Mr. Seymour, “ until 
I have exhibited another toy, which, like the Thaumatrope, 
is indebted for its effect to the optical principle, which I trust 
is now well understood by all present, viz., that an impres¬ 
sion made on the retina lasts for a certain period after the 
object itself has been withdrawn .” 

The annexed woodcut represents the instrument to which 
Mr. Seymour alluded. 


A b 



It consists of a disk of blackened tin plate, which is made 
to revolve on its axis in the- manner above exhibited. A nar¬ 
row opening extends from the circumference to the center as 
seen at a. If a device of any kind, as a star (which for in¬ 
creasing the beauty of the experiment ought to be transpa¬ 
rent and illuminated with a lamp), be placed behind the disk, 
it is evident that, as long as the circle remains at rest, no 
other part of the figure can be visible than that which is im¬ 
mediately behind the slit a, but the instant it is put into 
rapid motion the whole of the star will be seen, as exhibited 
in figure b. 

Mr. Seymour observed that the explanation of the phenom¬ 
enon was obvious;—each successive portion of the figure seen 










































MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


387 


through the opening remains on the eye until the circle has 
completed its entire revolution. 

“This experiment,” continued Mr. Seymour, “admits of 
a very curious modification, which I shall now proceed to 
exhibit.” 

Three colored wafers were then placed, at equal distances 
from each other, on the disk, and, the instrument having 
been arranged before a looking-glass, the party were desired 
to observe the reflected image as the circle revolved. 

“ The wafers are blended into one continuous zone,” ob¬ 
served Mrs. Seymour. 

“ To be sure,” said Louisa; “ upon the same principle that 
the ignited stick appears as a fiery circle.” 

“ It would be very strange, after the different experiments 
we have seen, if we were not able to explain the present ap¬ 
pearance,” observed Tom. 

“ The fiery circle produced by the revolving stick is a much 
better illustration of the principle; I do not see what object 
Mr. Seymour has in thus multiplying his experiments,” said 
the vicar. 

“ Gently, if you please, Mr. Twaddleton, and, before you 
favor us with your criticism, wait until I have concluded my 
experiment. You have seen that the reflected image of the 
revolving wafers appears as a continuous zone, and you have 
very correctly explained the reason of such an appearance; 
but I must now request you to inspect the reflected image 
through the slit in the disk, as it revolves, and say what new 
effect you observe.” 

“ How very strange!” exclaimed Tom; “I see the three 
wafers very distinctly, and perfectly at rest.” 

“ Impossible!” exclaimed the vicar: “let me have a peep. 
Why, I declare they appear, as you say, stationary, although 
I know them to be in rapid motion; as sure as fate I shall 
become a Cartesian.” 

The major, Louisa, and Mrs. Seymour were all equally sur¬ 
prised, and incapable of giving any explanation of the phe¬ 
nomenon they had witnessed. 



388 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Let us remember,” said Mr. Seymour, “ that, in viewing 
the image through the slit in the revolving disk, we catch 
but a momentary glance as it passes before the eye, and that 
the image thus produced on the retina is retained until the 
next revolution again brings the slit into the same position. 
Mow it is evident that, before the eye can ascertain a body 
to be in motion, it must observe it in two successive portions 
of time, in order to compare its change of place ;* but in the 
experiment under consideration, the glance is momentary, the 
wafer is no sooner seen than it passes away; its figure alone 
is impressed upon the retina, and this impression is continued 
without any change, until the circle completes its round, and 
consequently the image must appear at rest.” 

“ I understand you; the figure, but not the motion, of the 
wafer, is discernible in the short period during which it is 
visible through the slit,” observed the vicar. 

“ I lately witnessed a beautiful illustration of this subject 
at the Royal Institution,” said Mr. Seymour. “ A number of 
cogged wheels, cut out of pasteboard, were set in motion id 
a perfectly dark room, when occasional flashes of light from 
an electric battery displayed their forms most distinctly, and 
yet, although whirling round at the time, they appeared to 
the spectator as motionless as so many solid blocks of marble.! 
In like manner, in a storm during the darkness of midnight, 
the rolling ship and waves, when rendered visible by flashes of 
lightning, will appear as completely at rest as a representa¬ 
tion of them upon the canvas. So again, in viewing a foun¬ 
tain in full play, the eye sees only a clouded mist issuing from 
the jet: but, if in the dark we cause a succession of electric 
sparks to follow each other at short intervals of time, we 
shall at once perceive that this cloud consists of distinct drops 

* “ Our knowledge of motion is a deduction of reasoning, not a perception 
of sense; it is derived from the comparison of two positions; the idea of a 
change of place is the result of that comparison attained by a short process of 
reasoning .”—Lord Brougham. 

t Since the last edition of this work, Mr. Talbot has very ingeniously'availed 
himself of the phenomenon for obtaining instantaneous photogonic images of 
bodies in rapid motion. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


389 


of water. These successive drops, when seen in one con¬ 
tinued light, follow each other so quickly, that the eye re¬ 
ceives new impressions before the previous ones are extin¬ 
guished, and hence a mass of confusion: whereas, in the in¬ 
stantaneous light which is shed by electricity, each impres¬ 
sion stamps its image before the succeeding one can interfere 
with it, and a pause is afforded for the exercise of distinct 
sensation. I may at some future time extend this interesting 
subject by exhibiting some optical illusions produced by the 
revolution of wheels in different directions and at different 
velocities, for the knowledge of which we are indebted to 
Mr. Faraday ;* and, in mentioning that distinguished philos¬ 
opher,” added Mr. Seymour, addressing himself more partic¬ 
ularly to the vicar, “ I cannot avoid remarking, that, if Phi¬ 
losophy in Sport can be made Science in Earnest , the juve¬ 
nile lectures delivered by that professor have established the 
converse proposition, that the sternness of Science may be 
relaxed into the engaging aspect of Sport.” 

“ Before quitting this subject,” continued he, “ I have yet 
another toy in store for your amusement; it is founded upon 
the optical principle which I have every reason to believe 
you now thoroughly understand.” A square box was then 
produced containing a number of card disks, the edges of 
which exhibited a series of notches corresponding with the 
figures delineated on their margins. That the reader may 
better understand then* construction, as well as the explana¬ 
tion of Mr. Seymour, the following representation has been 
introduced. 

“To exhibit the magical effects of this toy,” said Mr. Sey¬ 
mour, “ I will, by means of the spindle to which it is attached, 
cause it to revolve rapidly before the looking-glass, and you 
shall view the reflection through the openings.” 

Each member of the party obeyed in succession the direc¬ 
tion thus given, and severally expressed the great astonish¬ 
ment they felt, at observing the figures in constant motion, 
and exhibiting the most grotesque attitudes. 

* See Journal of the Royal Institution, No. 2. 

33 * 



390 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 



“Now,” said Mr. Seymour, “attend to my explanation. 
Each figure is seen through the aperture, and as it passes and 
is succeeded in rapid succession by another and another, dif¬ 
fering from the former only in attitude, the eye is cheated 
into the belief of its being the same object successively 
changing the position of its body. Consider what takes place 
in an image on the retina when we actually witness a man in 
motion; for instance, a man jumping over a gate: in the first 
moment he appears on the ground, in the next his legs are a 
few inches above it, in the third they are nearly on a level 
with the rail, in the fourth he is above it, and then in the 
successive moments he is seen descending as he had pre¬ 
viously risen. A precisely similar effect is produced on the 
retina by the successive substitution of figures in correspond¬ 
ing attitudes, as seen through the orifices of the revolving 
disk; each figure remaining on the retina long enough to allow 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


391 


its successor to take its place without an interval that would 
destroy the illusion.” 

“ Nothing can he more satisfactory than your explanation 
of this very extraordinary toy,” observed the vicar. 

“ I am now about to exhibit what I consider a great im¬ 
provement in its construction, inasmuch as we thus get rid of 
the mirror, and enable two persons to witness the deception 
at the same time,” said Mr. Seymour. “For this purpose I 
have a spindle, at each end of which a disk is placed, and 
which I hold in my hand.” We deem it expedient to illus¬ 
trate this arrangement by a woodcut. 



“ By revolving the spindle, you perceive that both cards 
are made to turn round with equal velocity. Tom,” said 
his father, “ look through the orifices of the disk on my right 
hand, and, Louisa, do the same on my left.” The children 
obeyed, and simultaneously expressed their wonder at what 
they witnessed. “ The figures are all dancing 1” cried Tom. 
“ The horses are all prancing!” exclaimed Louisa. 

“ You have not yet told us the name of this toy,” observed 
the vicar. 







392 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ It lias received several names,” answered Mr. Seymour, 
“ as Phantasmascope , Phcendkistiscope , &c., derived, as you 
no doubt perceive, from the Greek.” It is scarcely necessary 
to observe that the appearances thus produced may be 
infinitely varied: heads opening their mouths, and distorting 
their countenances; creeping serpents, and machinery in 
active operation, are among the subjects that have excited 
the greatest admiration. 

Louisa here observed, that she had lately seen a most extra¬ 
ordinary optical illusion, termed “ Fluttering Hearts.” 

“You allude to the figures, worked in worsted, on a ground 
of a complementary color,” said her father. 

“ To be sure; and by moving about the tablet before the 
subdued light of a lamp or candle, the figures in question will 
appear as if in motion, and quite free, and disconnected with 
the ground upon which they are depicted,” answered Louisa. 

“ I am glad you have directed your attention to an appear¬ 
ance which has much puzzled wiser heads than our own,” 
observed Mr. Seymour. 

“ I also have heard that some difference of opinion exists as 
to the exact cause of this illusion,” said Miss Villers, “and 
have prepared a specimen for your use, not worked in worsted, 
but painted on card; and I have, moreover, given to it the 
convenient form of a hand-screen, which I now place at your 
disposal.” 

“ Many thanks, my dear Miss Villers.” 

Mr. Seymour, in the evening of the day, drew his family 
party around him, and by the aid of a candle was enabled to 
exhibit the extraordinary appearance above related. 

“How,” said he, “in order to arrive at some satisfactory 
explanation of this appearance, let us slowly and carefully 
observe what takes place. If we fix the eye upon some 
salient point of the figure, we shall soon become convinced 
that it does not actually change its place, with reference to 
the colored ground upon which it ft depicted; and if, next, 
we notice what change takes place on the surface of the fig¬ 
ure, as the tablet ft moved to and fro, we shall detect a 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


393 


1 penumbra,' that is, an imperfectly defined shadow, flitting 
across it. Now if this fact be admitted, two distinct questions 
will arise out of it: first, how is the shadow produced ? and 
secondly, upon what principle is the idea of motion thus con¬ 
veyed by it ?—In answer to the first of these questions, I 
must express my belief that it is a lingering impression upon 
the retina, produced by that of the colored ground, or that 
the color of the figure, and that of the ground, unequally 
retain their hold upon the eye, as to duration of time, and 
consequently that one impression, if I may so express it, 
overlaps the other.” 

“ After your explanation of the retention of an image for 
several seconds by the eye, I think I can comprehend your 
meaning,” said Miss Villers. 

“Well, if this be granted, I think I can convince you, by 
ocular demonstration, that the transit of a shadow over an 
illuminated surface will have a tendency to produce apparent 
motion.” So saying, Mr. Seymour proceeded, with lamp in 
hand, to the marble bust of Newton, that was mounted on a 
pedestal in a corner of his library, and on slowly moving the 
light, in different directions, before it, the w T hole party ac¬ 
knowledged that the countenance certainly became apparently 
animated by varied and changing expressions. 

The party now dispersed, not less gratified than they had 
been instructed by the lesson they had received. 

* ***** * 

The mighty magician of the North has compared the course 
of a narrative to the progress of a stone rolled down hill by 
an idle truant boy, “ which at first moveth slowly, avoiding 
by inflection every obstacle of the least importance; but 
when it has attained its full impulse, and draws near the con¬ 
clusion of its career, it smokes and thunders down, making a 
rood at every spring, clearing hedge and ditch, like a York¬ 
shire huntsman, and becoming most furiously rapid in its 
course when it is nearest to being consigned to rest forever. 
Even such,” says he, “is the course of a narrative; the ear¬ 
lier events are studiously riwelt upon; but when the story 



394 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


draws near its close, we hurry over the circumstances, how¬ 
ever important, which your imagination must have fore¬ 
stalled, and leave you to suppose those things which it would 
he abusing your patience to relate at length.” 

Let the reader of the present work accept this explanation 
as an apology for the abrupt and rapid manner in which we 
shall now accelerate our narrative. Since the last lecture, 
our history has advanced nearly three weeks, during which 
interval the major had made every arrangement for the ap¬ 
proaching marriage. It was finally agreed that the ceremony 
should be performed at Overton church; and as the “happy 
couple” expressed a wish to pass their “ honeymoon” in a re¬ 
tired part of Yorkshire, the major consented to postpone his 
fefie until after their return; nor was he displeased at such 
an arrangement, as it afforded time for getting up his enter¬ 
tainment on a more liberal scale than could otherwise have 
been accomplished, and for inviting his numerous friends to 
attend it. We shall now avail ourselves of that peculiar 
Lethean property which has been often ascribed to the pen 
of the author, and commit the reader to the arms of Mor¬ 
pheus, where it is our intention that he shall remain until 
the morning of the nuptials. 

* * * * * * * 
******* 

Reader, awake! the sun has risen, and Nature is robing 
herself in her most gorgeous apparel for the approaching cer¬ 
emony ; the family of the Lodge have been already roused 
from their slumbers by the attendance of minstrels, whom 
the vicar had directed to salute the bridal party at break of 
day. But hark! while we are thus trifling, the village of 
Overton is in a bustle; the marriage ceremony is over; the 
bells of the church are ringing right merrily their festive 
peals; many a handkerchief is waving from the cottage win¬ 
dows, while the doors are decorated with garlands; the vic¬ 
arage is ornamented with fragments of Venetian tapestry; 
the peasants, dressed in their holiday garments, are carry¬ 
ing nosegays in their hands, to present to the bride as 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


395 


an offering of their respect, or to strew in her path, as an 
emblematic expression of their wishes. 

The party having reached Osterley Park, we were pro¬ 
ceeding to describe the banquet which had been prepared, 
and the various devices and emblems with which it had been 
decorated, under the classical direction of the vicar, when, 
alas! our publishers, like the harpies of old, unexpectedly 
pounced upon us, and warned us from the feast—“ diripi- 
untque dapes ,” as Virgil has it. 

“You have already exceeded the prescribed limits—you 
must close the scene—remember that you have engaged to 
condense the work into one volume,” said they. We remon¬ 
strate, but in vain. We request but a few pages, in order 
that we may give our characters a dramatic exit; but they 
reply to us. in the words of Sneer in the Critic, “ O never 
mind! so as you get them off the stage, I’ll answer for it the 
reader won’t care how.” 

You see then, gentle reader, how vain it would be to strug¬ 
gle against such arbitrary and tasteless masters; we shall, 
therefore without any further apology, ring the manager’s 
bell and \rop the curtain. 



396 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


CHAPTER X XIY. 

PREPARATIONS FOR THE APPROACHING FETE.-THE ARRIVAL OF THE 

GUESTS.-THE PROCESSION OF THE BRIDAL PARTY TO OSTERLEY 

PARK.-THE MAJOR AND HIS VISITORS SUPERINTEND THE ARRANGE¬ 
MENTS IN THE MEADOW.-THE CURIOUS DISCUSSIONS WHICH TOOK 

PLACE ON THAT OCCASION.-THE ORIGIN OF THE SWING.-MERRY- 

ANDREWS.-TRAGETOURS, ETC.-THE DINNER AT THE HALL.-THE 

LEARNED CONTROVERSY WHICH WAS MAINTAINED WITH RESPECT TO 
THE GAME OF CHESS. 


A month had nearly elapsed since the bridal pah* had quit¬ 
ted Overton; and during this period the greatest activity had 
been displayed by the itinerant corps of Momus, under the 
superintendence of their manager, Ned Hopkins. The va¬ 
rious show-booths had been erected by their respective own¬ 
ers with an expedition that might have put many a prouder 
architect to shame: the marquees and the temporary rooms 
had been completed under the management of Tom Plank; 
and for those whose appetite might hold precedence of the 
senses of sight and hearing, ample funds of gratification had 
been provided by the accomplished hostess of the “ Bag of 
Nails,” whose grim troop of kettles and stewpans had, dur¬ 
ing the whole of the week, been chirping and chuckling over 
the kitchen range until, for lack of rest, its very cheeks had 
cracked from yawning. 

The numerous friends, who had responded to the joint in¬ 
vitations of the major and Mr. Seymour were fast arriving. 
Amidst an assemblage of fashionables from Belgravia, and 
the elite of the county, were to be seen a motley display of 
discordant spirits. Foremost in the field were the military 
friends of the major, who, in these piping times of peace, 




MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


397 


despairing of a glorious martyrdom from shells and cannon, 
were e’en content to lay siege to the major’s well-stored 
pantry,—to be blown up with ragouts and turtle, fired by 
Burgundy, and bombarded by Champagne corks, under the 
command of their old and gallant comrade. Then came 
members of Parliament, broken down by the weighty cares 
of legislation; poets reduced to a “ caput mortuum ,” by a 
species of spontaneous combustion; novelists driven wild 
by the creations of a distempered fancy; Cambridge wran¬ 
glers so attenuated by mathematical abstractions as to have 
become as angular as their diagrams of demonstration; ety¬ 
mologists, whose small and mole-set eyes gave token of their 
obs.cure and toilsome calling: then succeeded, as if in pleas¬ 
ing and striking contrast, a rubicund party of geological 
tourists, radiant with the healtliful glow of the mountain- 
breeze, with hammers in hand, as if prepared to knock the 
world about the ears of those who disputed their sovereignty 
over the universe; and, last, though very far from the least 
attractive part of this assemblage, came pale-faced but lim- 
ber-tongued lawyers, who, having thrown off their cares 
with their wigs, and plunged their briefs in the Lethe of a 
long vacation, had joyfully accepted the hospitality of Oster- 
ley Park, as an agreeable and seasonable recreation; but as 
taciturnity and quiescence do not constitute the characteris¬ 
tic elements of a lawyer’s holiday, let not the reader conclude 
that they abandoned then controversial tendencies; but, on 
the contrary, let him admire that harmonious adjustment by 
which the moral world is regulated; let him acknowledge 
the wisdom by which tranquillity is shed over such wild spir¬ 
its, and a vent or safety-valve provided for the escape of 
that high-pressure of pugnacity, which, no longer expended 
in actuating the wheels of the law, might have occasioned 
the most direful explosions, had it not, like the electricity of 
the thunder-cloud, found, if not a silent, at least a harmless 
conductor.—It is to be deeply regretted that a reporter had 
not been engaged to chronicle the sayings and doings of these 
intellectual gladiators. 


34 



398 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


The major now anxiouslyawaited the arrival of every post, 
in expectation of a letter that might announce the day upon 
which Henry Beacham and his bride would return to Oster- 
ley Park. At length the long-anticipated intelligence was 
received, that they might be expected at Overton by four 
o’clock on the day after the morrow. The vicar was im¬ 
mediately summoned to a council, and, on his arrival, retired 
with the major for the purpose of consulting the chronicles 
of Holinshed and Froissart, touching certain points of cere¬ 
monial that might guide them in their arrangements for 
receiving the bride. The vicar pleaded in favor of the forms 
that were observed on the occasion of the public entrance of 
Queen Isabella into the city of Paris, but the major objected 
to the plan, on account of the pageant representing the siege 
of Troy; a point upon which the vicar, as may be readily 
imagined, most pertinaciously insisted; so that the gentlemen 
separated without having arrived at any satisfactory conclu¬ 
sion upon the subject, and the question was transferred to 
another jurisdiction. Ho sooner had it become known that 
Mr. and Mrs. Beacham were shortly to arrive, than the more 
respectable yeomen of the parish assembled at the village inn, 
to concert a plan for receiving them with all due honor, when 
it was finally arranged that the village should be decorated 
with garlands, and the maypole erected on the spot where its 
gaudy streamers had for so many ages annually floated on the 
breeze of spring. It was further resolved, that every person 
who could furnish himself with a horse should attend at a 
certain spot by the hour of three, in order to advance in pro¬ 
cession, and escort the happy couple through Overton to 
Osterley Park. The major, upon receiving these resolutions, 
issued such orders as might be necessary for carrying them 
into effect; he also signified his desire that those musicians 
who had lately arrived for the impending festivities should be 
in attendance at the place and hour that had been fixed upon. 
The friends of Major Snapwell had received their final direc¬ 
tions for the ceremonial; and Overton was overflowing with 
visitors. Tom had also joined hie family circle. 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


399 


At three o’clock on the appointed day twenty signal-guns 
were discharged from the Park—the village bells struck up a 
festive peal—the flag was hoisted on the spire of the church 
—and upward of forty respectable yeomen, farmers, and ten¬ 
ants, mounted on their horses, and decorated with ribbons 
and flowers, had assembled as an escort. 

The church clock chimed the quarter-past three, as the car¬ 
riages of Major Snap well and Mr. Seymour, and those of their 
guests, drawn by highly-decorated horses, entered the vil¬ 
lage : the peasants immediately drew back, so as to form an 
avenue through which the party might pass, while shouts of 
gladness rent the air. Each horseman bad provided a large 
bough of oak or elm, so that the cavalcade in motion ap¬ 
peared like a moving grove, and reminded Mrs. Seymour of 
the advance of “ Birnam Wood to Dunsinane.” The carriages, 
preceded by a band of music, occupied the van of the proces¬ 
sion ; then came about fifty village maidens, each carrying in 
her hand a basket of flowers; next followed the horsemen; 
and the procession was closed by a dense group of peasants, 
who had come from all the country round. The vicar ap¬ 
peared on horseback, bustling in all directions, now conversing 
with the major, now with Mr. Seymour; at one time moder¬ 
ating the pace of the horsemen, and at another keeping back 
the pedestrians, whose eagerness to push forward created an 
inconvenient crowd in the foremost ranks. Mr. Twaddleton 
held in his right hand a wand decorated with ivy-leaves, and 
which resembled in appearance the thyrsus of Bacchus,* 
except that the cone on its summit had been replaced by a 
bunch of roses. This was a classical conceit; and he fully 
explained to the major the reason of liis having adopted such 
a device for his wand of office. 

“ The rose,” said he, “was dedicated by Cupid to Harpoc- 
rates, the god of Silence, to engage him to conceal the secrets 
of Yenus; hence has this flower been considered the symbol 

* The thyrsus was a spear entwined with leaves or a fillet, and surmounted 
with a fir-cone; indicative of the ancient custom of flavoring the wine with a 
resinous ingredient. 



400 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


of silence; for which reason it was customary to hang a rose 
over the banqueting-table, to signify that what was there 
spoken should be kept private, or ‘ under the rose whence, 
also, to present, or hold up, this flower to any person in dis¬ 
course, served, instead of an admonition, to intimate that it 
was time for such person to hold his peace. In like manner,” 
continued the antiquary, “ you will observe that, by virtue of 
my wand, I shall impress the obligation of silence upon the 
crowd, and easily calm any undue clamor that may arise.” 

The cavalcade had advanced little more than half a mile, 
when the major suggested the propriety of halting until his 
nephew and niece should arrive; to this proposition the 
vicar readily acceded, and accordingly issued the necessary 
orders. 

They had not, however, remained stationary above five 
minutes, when a carriage and four were seen at the brow of 
the hill, advancing in full speed. A general and simultaneous 
shout burst from the crowd; upon which the vicar raised his 
wand, and all was hushed. How far such an efl'ect might be 
attributed to the influence of his wand, we shall leave the 
sagacious reader to determine; but the party smiled at so 
striking an instance of classical credulity; and Mr. Twaddle- 
ton, highly gratified by his triumph, rode forward to the 
chariot, which was not more than two hundred .yards distant. 
It contained Mr. and Mrs. Beacham, whom the vicar no 
sooner perceived than he again raised his wand, and again 
witnessed the influence of its spell. The chariot instantly 
stopped, and, in the next moment, Mr. Twaddleton was seen 
in earnest conversation with the travelers. He informed 
them that the group they saw was a cavalcade of villagers, 
who had been awaiting their arrival on the road, in order to 
escort them in rural triumph to Osterley Park. He then 
presented Mr. Beacham with a bag of nuts, “ that the bride¬ 
groom,” as he said, u might he enabled to comply with the 
ancient Roman custom* of throwing nuts among the boys to 

* Many reasons t^vo boon assigned for this custom; the more commonly 
received opinion is, that it wa3 intended as a token of the bridegroom having 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


401 


be scrambled for;— eparge , marite , nucea, as Virgil has it;— 
da nuces, pueris , as Catullus sing.?/’ Mr. Beacliam held the 
vicar in too much respect to laugh at his eccentricities, and 
he therefore accepted the bag, with a determination to gratify 
his wishes in so harmless a whim. 

Jerry Styles was now directod to forward the two messen¬ 
gers to Osterley Park; and he accordingly opened a basket, 
from which flew two carrier pigeons, who immediately soared 
into the air, and, having attained their greatest altitude, and 
remained apparently stationary a few seconds, darted off in 
the direction of Osterley Park: every eye was steadfastly 
fixed upon the birds; and a murmur of satisfaction and won¬ 
der ran through the ranks, as the sagacious animals lessened 
in the distance. 

The musicians struck up a grand march;—the whole cav¬ 
alcade was in motion. Mr. Beacham’s chariot had been 
drawn on one side of the road; the carriages and horsemen 
proceeded to take their stations in the rear ; the company in 
the former kissing their hands, and waving their handker¬ 
chiefs, while the latter lowered their branches and cheered, 
as they passed. 

The damsels, in advance of Mr. Beacham’s carriage, opened 
their baskets, and strewed the road with flowers as they 
moved forward. 

“ Hark!” exclaimed the major: “ the pigeons have arrived 
at the park, and my orders have been faithfully obeyed: they 
are firing a salute.” 

“And it has been heard at the village,” said the vicar; 
“for the bells have just commenced their peal of welcome.” 

left off childish diversions, and entered on a more serious state of life; whence 
nucibus relictis has passed into a proverb. This conjecture is favored by 
Catullus: 

“ Satis din 

Lusisti nucibus. Lubet 
Jam servire Tbalassio. - '’ 

We have already stated that mice* were played with like our marbles; the 
custom, therefore, might be intended to express that the bridegroom had d» 
serted his playthings. 


34* 



402 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


But we are exhausting the patience of our readers with the 
details of a ceremony in which it is very probable they may 
feel but little interest; although we freely confess that, to 
ourselves, few pageants have such attractive charms as those 
innocent and simple manifestations of genuine feeling which 
are to be met with in rural life, where the heart has not yet 
been chilled by that benumbing influence which has been 
termed “the progress of civilization;” and which has ex¬ 
changed the free and warm impulses of our nature for cold 
and studied forms, or for an artful display of factitious senti¬ 
ment. 

During the progress of the procession through the village, 
Mi*. Beacham had not been unmindful of the vicar’s request; 
he poured a shower of nuts among the boys, which occa¬ 
sioned much frolic and good-humored contention; while the 
peasants caught and cracked them, without any suspicion of 
the Roman custom they were assisting to perpetuate. 

Having arrived at Osterley Park, the horsemen formed a 
double line, through which the several carriages passed. The 
gates were then closed; and the vicar, stepping forward, thus 
addressed the assembled multitude: 

“Well-beloved friends and parishioners, I am desired by 
Major Snap well to inform you that refreshments have been 
prepared in the village, of which you may all partake oh 
your return. Your admission into the park this evening 
would interfere with those arrangements which are in pro¬ 
gress for to-morrow’s jubilee; let me, therefore, request that 
you will all retire peaceably.” 

In compliance with this intimation, the whole assembly, 

“With tongues all loudness, and with eyes all mirth,” 

after having given three hearty cheers, retired to the village, 
where several barrels of beer had been disposed in readiness 
for the potation. 

The vicar, having completed his harangue, rejoined the 
party at the park, where its hospitable owner had prepared 
a sumptuous dinner. It was, however, proposed that the 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


40.3 


vicar, with the major, and such of his guests as wished to 
inspect the preparations, should previously walk round the 
grounds. Tom and his sisters begged that they might he 
included in the party; a request which their father readily 
granted, as he said that some opportunity might occur for 
explaining the nature of those exhibitions which they were 
to witness on the following day. The same feeling induced 
Mr. and Mrs. Beacham and several visitors to join the party, 
hoping that they also might profit from the discourse which 
Mr. Seymour intended to hold for the instruction of his chil¬ 
dren. The reader will probably be induced, for similar rea¬ 
sons, to accompany them. If he has attentively read the 
preceding pages of this work, we hope he has become con¬ 
vinced that the lessons of youth may occasionally convey 
instruction, as well as amusement, to those of riper years. 

hfed Hopkins having been summoned to attend the party, 
and receive the final orders of the vicar, they proceeded to 
the elm-meadow, where the grand fair was to be held, and 
in which were disposed a long line of booths for the motley 
exhibitions to which they were dedicated. 

“ What have we here ?” exclaimed the major, as he entered 
the meadow; “a row of poles!” 

“ Ned Hopkins,” cried the vicar, how has it happened that 
the ropes have not been affixed to these poles ? Have I not 
said that every arrangement must be completed this evening ? 
Those poles,” continued the vicar, addressing himself to Ma¬ 
jor Snap well, “ are intended for swings, from which the 
younger peasants will, doubtless, derive much amusement, 
while their sires are engaged, in the adjoining field, by the 
more manly exercises of quoits, foot-racing, wrestling, hurl¬ 
ing, &c. You are of course aware, gentlemen, that, in ad¬ 
mitting the swing among the pastimes of the day, I have 
the support of classical authority: its origin may be traced 
to the Icarian games, the celebration of which consisted in 
persons balancing themselves on cords attached to two trees; 
or, in other words, in swinging. They were instituted in 
commemoration of the death of Erigone, who no sooner dis- 



404 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


covered the murder of her father Icarus, than she piously 
hung herself at his tomb.” 

“ It is certainly very curious,” said the major, “ to observe 
how frequently a popular ceremony or custom has survived 
the tradition of its origin; it is thus, for instance, that the 
fond mother still suspends the coral toy, with its silver tinkling 
bells, around the neck of her infant, without being in the 
least aware of the superstitious belief from which the custom 
sprang (18); and I have little doubt but that we shall to¬ 
morrow hear the chorus of 1 Derry-Down’ re-echoed by those 
who probably never heard of the Druids, and much less of 
the coral hymns with which their groves resounded at the 
tune of gathering the mistletoe.” 

“ You need not go so far back as the Druids,” said Mr. 
Seymour: “ does not the housewife place the poker across 
the grate to draw up the fire, without ever suspecting' that 
the custom originated from the superstitious belief that, by 
thus forming a cross with the bars, the fire was protected 
from the malignant influence of witches ? Then again, how 
very few persons, on passing a barber’s pole, are aware of Its 
origin and significance. (19.)—But let us proceed; for what 
has yonder stage been erected?” 

“That is the hoistings , sir,” exclaimed Ned Hopkins, 
“ from which Giles Gingerly, the celebrated American Merry- 
andrew will exhibit his buffoonery, and vend his nostrums.” 

“ Hoistings! why, Ned, you pronounce the word as though 
your mouth had not yet recovered from the damage of your 
early fire-eating,” said the major. 

“ I ask your pardon, sir,” answered Ned; “but the vicar’s 
friend, Mr. Jeremy Prybabel, took me to task, and insisted 
upon it that Hustings was a corruption of Hoistings , it be¬ 
ing a stage upon which the actor is hoisted or elevated 
above the surrounding crowd.” 

“ I believe he is right,” muttered the vicar. 

“Papa,” said Tom, “pray tell me what is a Merry-an¬ 
drew ?” 

“ Ask the vicar,” replied his father. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EABNEST. 


405 


“ The mountebank, who united the professions of joculator 
and physician, was of ancient date, and during the last two 
centuries has figured away with considerable success. He 
usually appears on a temporary stage, and prefaces the vend¬ 
ing of his nostrums with a pompous harangue; and the bet¬ 
ter to attract the notice of the gaping spectators, he displays 
some of the performances practiced by the jugglers, while 
his inseparable companion, the loudoir , exhibits numerous 
tricks, and puts the populace in good humor by wit and 
raillery. The medical fraternity, known in England by the 
name of Merry-andrews , and who are the companions of the 
mountebank, derived their foundation from Dr. Andrew 
Borde, who lived in the reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., 
and Queen Mary, and was constantly in the habit of frequent¬ 
ing fan’s and markets, at which he harangued the populace: 
his speeches were extremely humorous, and occasioned con¬ 
siderable mirth ; but, notwithstanding the infallibility of his 
nostrums, like Paracelsus, he died with a bottle of his elixir m 
his pocket. His successors in the same line naturally endeav¬ 
ored to emulate the humor of then- master, and hence this 
whole class of vagabond tinkers of flesh and bone acquired 
the generic appellation of Merry-andrews .” 

44 And he was a punster withal, and styled himself Andreas 
4 Perforatus ,’ ”* said Mr. Seymour. 

44 At all events that was a Latin pun,” observed the major, 
44 and therefore I may presume a redeeming feature in the 
opinion of the vicar.” 

44 The origin of the word buffoon is curious,” said the vicar. 
44 Jesters and clowns in the farces used to swell their cheeks 
with wind and then give each other a slap, which produced 
a noise to the amusement of the spectators; and hence the 
term Buffa , being a word of corrupt latinity of the middle 
ages, synonymous with Alapa. i. e., a slap on the cheek.” 

44 And pray what are nostrums ?” asked Louisa. 

44 4 Nostrum,' my dear, signifies our own , and is applied to 
any medicine which is prepared by a secret process, and sold 

* Andrew Sored, 



406 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


for the private advantage of an individual; but since secrecy 
is never used on such occasions except as a cloak for impos¬ 
ture, the word very generally conveys an expression of ridi¬ 
cule or contempt.” 

The company proceeded in their inspection. 

“What have we there, Ned Hopkins ?” said Mr. Seymour, 
as he pointed to a booth of larger dimensions than those 
which surrounded it. 

“In that booth ‘the Emperor of all the Conjurers’ will 
perform his wonderful art of ‘sleight of hand,’ ” replied Ned. 
“Look at his card of invitation,” continued the wag— 
“ Walk in—walk in—ladies and gentlemen. Here 

ARE MIRACLES IN ANY QUANTITY TO BE SEEN EOR TWO PENCE, 
AND BELIEVED IN EOR NOTHING ! ! !” 

“ A lineal descendant of the Tragetour of the fourteenth 
century,” observed the vicar; “ a class of artists who, with 
the assistance of dexterity of execution, and various kinds ot 
machinery, deceived the eyes of the spectators, and produced 
such illusions as were usually supposed to he the effect ot 
enchantment; on which account they were frequently ranked 
with magicians, sorcerers, and witches. They were greatly 
encouraged in the middle ages, and traveled in large compa¬ 
nies, carrying with them such machinery as was necessary 
for the performance of their deceptions.” 

The company passed to the next booth. 

“ There,” said Ned, “ will be exhibited vaulting, tumbling, 
jumping through hoops, balancing, grotesque dances by the 
clown, and dancing upon the tight-rope.” 

“ The tragetour rarely executed this part of the performance 
himself,” said the vicar, “hut left it to some of his confederates.” 

“ And yet I should have thought it the most profitable 
department of the art,” observed the major; “ for it was so 
patronized as to secure the reception of its professors into the 
houses of the nobility. In the reign of Edward II. a tumbler 
rode -before the king, and so delighted his majesty, that he 
rewarded him with a gratuity of twenty shillings, a very con¬ 
siderable sum in tho e 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


407 


The whole party, having expressed their satisfaction at the 
genius which Ned Hopkins had displayed in selecting and 
arranging the various kinds of amusement, were conducted 
by the vicar to a small inclosure at a short distance from the 
fair, which he had appropriated to the youths of the vil¬ 
lage, who had been trained to perform the “ Ludus Trojce ,” 
according to the description left us by Virgil in the fifth 
iEneid. 

U I shall be curious to witness the sport,” said the major; 
“for Lazius asserts, in his commentaries upon the Roman 
Republic, that the jousts and tournaments, so much in fashion 
about two or three hundred years ago, were indebted for 
their origin to this game; and that 4 Tournamenta 1 is but a 
corruption of 4 Troy amenta? ” 

44 Undoubtedly,” replied the vicar: 44 and the learned and 
noble Du Fresne entertains the same opinion: by some the 
word has been derived from the French tourner , to turn 
round with agility: yet the exercises have so much resem¬ 
blance, as to render it evident that the one is an imitation of 
the other.” 

44 I am pleased to find that the vicar has not been fright¬ 
ened out of his propriety by the 4 Peace Congress, ’ who, in fear 
of creating a future race of Rolandos, have denounced the 
introduction of warlike toys into the play-ground. I see 
yonder is Punch,” continued the gallant major: 44 all these 
preparations are highly laudable, and will, no doubt, afford 
satisfaction to the spectators, for whose amusement they have 
been designed; but there are other senses, besides the eye 
and ear, to be gratified upon this occasion. I have not yet 
observed any arrangements for the dinner.” 

“Fear not, major; the awning which has been erected for 
that purpose is within sight: observe you not the banners 
winch are floating yonder?” said the vicar. 

44 Ay, ay, to be sure I do; and let roe tell you that you 
have taken up a very snug position.” 

Tables had been arranged, under an awning of canvas, in 
the form of a cross, and were capable of accommodating about 



408 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


two hundred persons. On a platform, somewhat elevated, 
was another table appropriated to the major and his guests, 
on which covers were laid for forty. 

“ You perceive, major,” said Mr. Twaddleton, as they ap¬ 
proached the scene of future action, “ that the fare which 
has been provided is simple but substantial, and I trust will 
be considered as no less according with English hospitality 
than with classical propriety.” 

“ The beef certainly predominates,” said the major; “ and 
I observe that most of the joints are roasted.” 

“ Quite correct, sir; the ox is the animal most frequently 
spoken of, as furnishing food for ancient heroes; and you will 
remember that Homer rarely mentions any other than roasted 
meat.” 

“ I perceive that you have been more miscellaneous in your 
arrangement of the upper table.” 

“ I have placed before you a chine of beef, because Mene- 
laus set that dish before Telemaehus at the marriage-feast of 
his son.” 

“And I rejoice to see a salad for its neighbor,” said the 
major. 

“Ay, truly, a n Attic salad, with garlic, leeks, and cheese: 
you no doubt remember that the poetical salad served up in 
the comedy of the Peace of Aristophanes was of this compo¬ 
sition,” added the vicar. 

“ I wish to know what seats are to be appropriated to my 
young friends, the little Seymours ?” said the major. 

“ I regret extremely to say, that they cannot with pro¬ 
priety join our party,” replied the vicar, gravely. 

“Hot join the party! zounds, sir, but I insist upon it;— 
not join the party!”— 

“ Be calm, major ; and believe me that I shall feel the pri¬ 
vation as keenly as yourself; but would you countenance a 
measure which is decidedly in opposition to every classical 
authority? Hever, as Suetonius has expressly declared, did 
the young Csasars, Gains and Lucius, eat at the table of 
Augustus, until they had assumed the toga virilis .” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


409 


“ A fig for Suetonius! lie is not to be trusted: has it not 
been said, that, while he exposed the deformities of the 
Caesars, he wrote with all the licentiousness and extrava¬ 
gance with which they lived? Besides, can we trust the 
opinion of a man, on a subject of etiquette, who was banished 
from the court for want of attention and respect.to the Em¬ 
press Sabina ? You must produce some better authority, my 
dear Mr. Twaddleton: search the Grecian writers; depend 
upon it that some direct or implied sanction to the plan is to 
be discovered; the oracles of old may generally be so inter¬ 
preted as to meet the wishes of the translator.” 

“ Gently, Major Snapwell; speak not thus irreverently of 
the luminaries of antiquity; nor expect me to distort pas¬ 
sages from their original and intended significations. An 
idea, however, has just struck me, which may, possibly, be 
turned to your advantage: and yet there are many difficulties; 
for it cannot be said that this feast has been conducted with 
the utmost frugality; and, therefore, must not be compared 
with the Lacedaemonian ‘ Syssitiaf or public entertainments, 
whither the youths were obliged, by the lawgiver, to repair 
as to schools of temperance and sobriety, and where, by the 
example and discourse of the elder men, they were trained to 
good manners and useful knowledge.” 

u A case exactly in point!” exclaimed the major. “Must 
not the classical character of our entertainment convey in¬ 
struction? I vow it runs parallel in every particular with 
the Syssitia of Lacedaemon; and I therefore affirm, that it 
would be illegal, according to the law of Lycurgus, to prevent 
the presence of the young Seymours.” 

“ Your argument has color, major; I must admit that Mr.. 
Seymour’s lessons are too valuable to be lost: well, I con¬ 
sent ; it shall be regarded as a Lacedaemonian entertainment, 
and my young friends shall be accordingly accommodated 
with seats.” 

On their return from the banqueting-tables, the party in¬ 
spected the preparations for the fireworks, and the ships 
constructed for the naumachia; we shall, however, at present 

86 



410 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


deelino offering any description, as we prefer explaining them 
in operation. 

The reader will now be pleased to imagine that the party, 
having returned to the mansion, had partaken of the hospita¬ 
ble repast which the major had provided for them; he may 
further suppose that tea had been served up, and the amuse¬ 
ments of the evening commenced: for it is at this moment 
that the course of our narrative is resumed. Mrs. Beacham 
was delighting the assembly by a splendid display of her mu¬ 
sical talents; the major and Mr. Seymour were engaged in a 
game of chess. 

u There you sit, gentlemen,” exclaimed the vicar, “so ab¬ 
sorbed in your game, as to have remained quite insensible to 
the sweet sounds with which Mrs. Beacham has been charm¬ 
ing us; but you stand excused, for Seneca admits the fasci¬ 
nating power of the 1 Indus latrunculorum, ’ or game of chess. 
You no doubt remember the story that he tells us of one 
Canius Julius, who, having been sentenced to death by Ca¬ 
ligula, was found by the centurion, when he came to conduct 
him to execution, so interested in a game of the ‘ latrunculif 
as at first to be insensible to the summons, and that he did 
not prepare to depart until he had counfed his men, and 
desired the centurion to bear witness to his having one more 
piece on the board than his adversary, so that the latter 
might not boast of a victory after his death.” 

“Indeed!” said the major; “but, unfortunately for your 
story, the ancients were not acquainted with the game of 
chess.” 

“What absurd proposition ami next to expect?” cried Mr. 
Twaddletpn. “You surely cannot have read the poem to 
Piso, which some will have to be Ovid’s, others Lucian’s ? 
but no matter; it is an ancient poem, and accurately describes 
the game of 1 latrunculi. 1 I myself believe, from a particular 
line in Sophocles, that chess was invented by Palamedes, at 
the siege of Troy; although Seneca attributes it to Chilon, 
one of the seven Grecian sages. My friend Mr. Seymour, 
who is, upon all occasions, desirous of imparting wisdom 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


411 


through the medium of games, and of 1 turning sport into sci¬ 
ence,’ will no doubt agree with those who fancy that it was 
contrived by Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, as a method of instruct¬ 
ing his soldiers in the military art; and I must admit that 
the game expresses the chance and order of war so very 
happily, that no place can lay so just a claim to its invention 
as the camp : ‘ ludimus effigiem belli as Yida says.” 

“ Check to your king!” cried the major; “ while you are 
considering of the best way to get his majesty out of the 
scrape, I will endeavor to extricate the vicar out of the quag¬ 
mire in w T hich he is floundering. My dear Mr. Twaddleton,” 
continued the major, “you speak as if it were an admitted 
fact that the ‘ Indus latrunculorum' was synonymous with 
our chess. I admit that it was a game played with Tesserae 
or squares, and Calculi or pieces; but it does not follow that 
it must have been chess; indeed the learned Dr. Hyde, whose 
researches into oriental games are as much distinguished for 
accurate discrimination as for profound scholarship, considers 
it to have resembled our draughts.” f 

“You are to move, major,” said Mr. Seymour. 

“ Then I shall take your castle, and open a fresh battery 
upon the vicar,” replied Major Snapwell. 

“ So you may,” cried Mr. Twaddleton, “ but you will not 
easily drive me from my position, supported as I am by Vos- 
sius and Salmasius, and an army of valiant combatants.” 

“The learned Hyde has endeavored to prove that chess 
was first invented in India, and passed from thence to Persia 
and Arabia. Fabricius considered it a Persian game, and I 
must say that I am inclined to coincide with him. The 
terms in present use may evidently be traced to an Oriental 
source. Schach , in the Persian language, signifies king, and 

* “ War’s harmless shape we sing, and boxen trains 
Of youth, encountering on the cedar plains: 

How two tall kings, by different armor known, 

Traverse the field and combat for renown.” 

+ “ Ludus Latrunculorumludus, Anglico dicitur Draughts, a trahendo 
oalculos,- -Hyde de Ludis OrientaUum. Oxon, 1694, 



412 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


schachmat , whence our check-mate , the king is dead,—the 
original words having been transformed by progressive 
changes; thus we have schach , echecs, chess ; and by a whim¬ 
sical concurrence of circumstances have arisen the English 
words check and exchequer .” 

“I take your queen” cried Mr. Seymour. 

“ Ay; and I take a bishop in return,” said the major. 

“Well,” observed the vicar, “if an Oriental nation really 
gave origin to the game, it could not, at all events, have 
been China; since the policy of that people is to exclude 
females from every kind and degree of influence and power, 
whereas the queen at chess is a powerful and important 
piece.” 

“You must not lay too much stress upon the names of the 
several pieces,” observed the major, “ since they have varied 
in different ages and countries. The castle is sometimes 
called the rook, from the Italian word rocca, which signifies 
a fortress placed on a rock: the piece which we call the 
bishop has been termed by English writers alphan , aufin, &c.; 
from an Arabic word signifying an elephant; sometimes it 
was named an archer; by the Germans, the hound or run¬ 
ner; by Russians and Swedes, the elephant; by Poles, the 
priest; and by the French, at a very early period, the fou or 
fool: the reason of this last appellation seems to be, that, as 
this piece stands on the sides of the king and queen, some 
wag of the times styled it the fool, because anciently royal 
-personages were commonly thus attended, from want of other 
means of amusing themselves.” 

“You cannot thus account for our term bishop ,” observed 
Mr. Seymour, “ as our kings and queens have never had such 
attendants.” 

“Nor is it very easy to ascertain the period at which it 
was introduced,” replied the major; “in Oaxton’s time it 
was styled the elphyn. I should think it probable that the 
change of name took place after the Reformation.” 

“ It is probable that the pieces not only underwent changes 
in name, but changes in value or power,” observed Mr, Sey* 



MADE SCIENCE IN EAKNEST. 


413 


mour, “ as the game descended through different ages and 
countries.” 

Mrs. Beacham, who had been for some time listening with 
much interest to the curious discourse we have just related, 
here ventured to ask a question: “As you appear to have 
taken some trouble to ascertain the origin of this game, you 
can perhaps inform me at what period it was introduced into 
England.” 

The major replied that the learned Hyde supposed it to 
have been first known in our country about the time of the 
Conquest; but that Mr. Barrington believed it to have been 
introduced during the thirteenth century, upon the return of 
Edward I. from the Holy Land, where he continued so lung, 
and was attended by so many English. 

“ It is certain that our ancestors played much at chess be¬ 
fore the general introduction of cards,” observed the vicar, 
“as no fewer than twenty-six English families have embla¬ 
zoned chess-boards and chess-rooks in their arms, and it 
must therefore have been considered a valuable accomplish¬ 
ment.” 

“ Cards,” observed the major, “ must have been known in 
England previous to the time of Edward IV., since a statute 
was passed in that reign against their importation; but they 
did not become general for many years, and the progress of 
the custom appears to have been extremely slow.” 

“ Check,—and mate!” exclaimed Mr. Seymour. 

“ Upon my word, I have' lost the game. Mr. Twaddleton, 
I lay this to your account,” said the major; “ you ought not, 
sir, to have intruded your antiquarian discussions at such a 
time.” 

“ You have lost the game, major, because, like Charles XII. 
of Sweden,* you are too fond of advancing your king; but it 
is quite natural that you should feel mortified by your defeat: 
a chess-warrior never likes to be beat, because it is a trial of 

* Voltaire tells us that Charles XII. always lost the game at chess, from his 
eagerness to move his king, and to make greater use of him than of any of the 
other pieces. 


35* 



414 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


skill and address; chance has no place, and he therefore never 
Joses except from the superiority of his adversary. You may 
remember that William the Conqueror, upon being check¬ 
mated by the Prince of Prance, knocked the chess-board 
about his pate, an event which became the source of much 
future enmity. I must say,” continued the vicar, “ that this, 
in my view of the matter, is an imperfection in the game; 
for, if it be the type or representative of a military campaign, 
fortune should have some share in deciding the fate of the 
day; and, if I remember correctly, Sir William Jones has 
stated that the use of dice, to regulate the moves, was for¬ 
merly introduced in the East.” 

“ I will give the major his revenge whenever he pleases,” 
said Mr. Seymour; “ but as I well know how dearly the vicar 
loves an antiquarian anecdote, if he will listen I will furnish 
him with one that will be probably new to him. Do you 
observe the form of the chess-board, resembling, as you per¬ 
ceive, two folio volumes ? The origin of it was this: Endes, 
bishop of Sully, forbade his clergy to play at chess. As they 
were resolved, however, not to obey the command, and yet 
did not dare to have a chess-board seen in their houses or 
cloisters, they had them bound and lettered as books, and 
called them their wooden gospels. These same monks had 
also drinking-vessels bound to resemble the breviary, and 
were found drinking when it was supposed they were at 
prayers.” 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


415 


CHAPTER XXV. 

THE ARRIVAL OF THE POPULACE AT OSTERLEY PARK.-THE COMMENCE¬ 
MENT OF THE FESTIVITIES.-DANCING ON THE TIGHT AND SLACK 

ROPE.-BALANCING.-AN EGG POISED ON ITS BROAD AND NARROW 

END.-CONJURING.-THE MYSTERIOUS LADY.-THE KING OF THE 

SALAMANDERS.-THE FIRE ORDEAL.-WATER FROZEN IN A RED-HOT 

CRUCIBLE.-ICE SET ON FIRE.-OPTICAL ILLUSIONS.-PHANTASMA¬ 
GORIA.-DECEPTIVE SOUNDS.-INVISIBLE GIRL.-VENTRILOQUISM.- 

VARIOUS GAMES.-THE PENTHALUM.-QUOITS.-THE BANQUET.- 

THE GAME OF QUINTAIN.-GRAND DISPLAY OF FIREWORKS.-COL 

' ORED FIRES.-A TABLEAU IN THE INFERNAL REGIONS.-CONCLUSION. 


“Expectata dies aderat-.” 

“ Now came the day desired; the skies were bright 
With rosy luster of the rising light.” 


Never had the rosy fingers of Aurora shown so much re¬ 
luctance in unbarring the gates of the East as on the morn¬ 
ing of the Osterley Jubilee; at least, so thought some score 
of peasants, who, fevered . by anxiety and expectation, had 
arisen from their beds long before the break of day. 

At length, however, the sun arose; but, indignant no doubt 
at the accusation he had so unjustly suffered, he immediately 
veiled his fiery countenance in dark and lowering clouds. 
Here, then, was a fresh source of doubt and anxiety; would 
the day be rainy ? The gardener at Overton Lodge was im¬ 
mediately sought and consulted ; and, cheering as were his 
predictions, they scarcely succeeded in dispelling the gloom 
which shaded many a fair countenance. The apprehension 
of disappointment was, however, suddenly relieved for \ o~ 






416 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


tween nine-and ten o’clock the sun reappeared, beaming in 
all his glory, and shedding the brightest refulgence on the 
scene of the approaching festivities. At this period hundreds 
of villagers, dressed in their holiday attire, were seen pouring 
along the high road, or winding their way through the ver¬ 
dant valleys. So admirable had been the arrangements for 
the admission of the populace into the park, that, great as 
was the concourse of spectators, not the slightest imped¬ 
iment occurred during their entrance. 

At half-past ten o’clock the whole population of the coun¬ 
try had assembled; the various performers were on their re¬ 
spective stages; and the arrival of Major Snap well and his 
guests was eagerly expected, as a signal for the commence¬ 
ment of the festivities of the day. 

At length a distant murmur was heard in the direction of 
the house, which gradually increased as it approached the 
meadow, until it swelled into one grand and universal chorus. 
The vicar appeared with his wand of office, which he no 
sooner waved in the air than the murmur gradually subsided. 
Major Snapwell and his friends, Harry Beacham and his 
bride, and the Seymours with their children, and numerous 
visitors followed. The several bands, stationed on the plat¬ 
forms erected before the show-booths, simultaneously struck 
up the national anthem, in which the whole multitude joined, 
and produced a most surprising and thrilling effect. 

There were eight booths appropriated to the several ex 
hibitions; and it had been arranged that each should com¬ 
mence at the same time, and repeat its performances eight 
times during the day; so that by dividing the spectators into 
eight groups, and delivering to each person a ticket distin¬ 
guished by a particular number, every spectator at once knew 
the booth into which he was to enter; and having witnessed 
the exhibition, he was directed to exchange his ticket; by 
which means every.chance of confusion was avoided, and 
each person was enabled to witness, successively, every per¬ 
formance. 

The vicar and the party entered the first booth, and were 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


417 


followed by all those whose ticket was distinguished by No. 
1; those of No. 2 at the same time entered the second booth, 
and so on. 

The first show was appropriated to the various exhibitions 
of vaulting, tumbling, balancing, and rope-dancing. 

During the performances of the balancer, Tom Seymour’s 
attention was riveted on the artist; he watched every move¬ 
ment, and examined its effect in preserving the center of 
gravity within the base. “Papa,” cried the delighted boy, 
“ I never experienced so much interest in a performance of 
this kind, until I was capable of explaining the principles up¬ 
on which it was conducted. I have attentively followed 
every change of position, and discovered the effect of such 
changes upon the line of direction.”* As to the wire-dancing , 
Tom observed that he saw very plainly the swinging of the 
wire backward and forward diminished the difficulty, and 
assisted the actor in keeping his equipoise. 

Mr. Seymour was highly delighted with these remarks; 
and, casting an intelligible look at Mr. Twaddleton, who was 
seated near him, he exclaimed, “Well, vicar, you will surely 
now admit that the pleasures which arise from sport are 
heightened by the admixture of science.” 

“ My dear Mr. Seymour,” replied the vicar, “ you well 
know that I have long since become a convert to your prin¬ 
ciples ; I confess, however, had that not been the case, the 
expressions of satisfaction and delight which have just fallen 
from my little playmate, Tom, would have removed all my 
prejudices.” 

“See, see!” exclaimed Louisa, “how very extraordinary! 
I declare that the plate, sword, key, and tobacco-pipe, are all 
balanced as they revolve on the chin of the performer.” 

“Anddo you not know., Louisa,” replied Tom, “that the 
revolution of the plate and sword, which appears to render 
the execution so much more astonishing, actually diminishes 
the difficulty of the performance ?”t 

Thus did Tom Seymour continue to point out successively 
* See page 82. t See page 96 




418 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


the philosophical principles upon which each of the tricks 
might he supposed to depend. 

“ Ladies and gentlemen,” said the artist, “I shall next have 
the honor to exhibit, for the first time in public, a most won¬ 
derful triumph in the art of balancing; an equilibrium which 
has hitherto been deemed impracticable, since the utmost 
skill and perseverance have for ages failed to accomplish it. 
It is no less than a solution of that problem which Columbus 
denounced as impossible by the very stratagem he employed 
to evade it. It is to make an egg stand upon one end!! I 
have here the egg of a hen, and I shall send it round in order 
that you may be satisfied there is no deception—that the shell 
is entire, and has not in any way been tampered with. While 
this examination is proceeding, I will remind my friends of 
the anecdote to which I just now alluded:—On the return 
of Columbus from his first voyage, numerous banquets were 
given him by the nobility; at one of which a shallow cour¬ 
tier, envious of his honors, abruptly asked him whether he 
thought that, in case he had not discovered the Indies, there 
would have been wanting men in Spain capable of the enter¬ 
prise. To this Columbus made no direct reply, but, taking 
an egg, invited the company to make it stand on one end. 
Every one attempted it, but in vain; whereupon he struck it 
upon the table, broke one end, and left it standing on the 
broken part; illustrating, in this simple manner, that, when 
he had once shown the way to the new world, nothing was 
easier than to follow it.—Now, I trust, ladies and gentlemen, 
you are satisfied by your inspection that I have not broken 
nor altered the natural surface of the shell, and yet you shall 
see I can balance it on its broader end.” 

The professor then, after some moments engaged ui the 
adjustment, achieved his object to the astonishment of all 
present. 

“ It really does surprise me, for I feel satisfied the egg was 
fairly balanced without any preparation of the shell,” said 
Mr. Seymour. 

“ I do not exactly understand why it should be considered 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


419 


so next to impossible to make the egg stand on end,” ob¬ 
served Tom. 

“ The difficulty consists in our inability so to regulate the 
center of gravity of the egg as to keep the line of direction * 
within the point upon which we attempt to poise it. This 
would be sufficiently difficult with a body uniformly solid 
and of the same shape; but the fact of its interior being a 
movable liquid increases the difficuly to the highest possible 
amount.” 

The artist, who had keenly eyed the Seymour party during 
this exhibition of his skill, saw very clearly the doubts and 
difficulties he had raised, “ft h not usual,” said he, “for the 
professors of our art to explain their movements and expose 
their secrets; but, observing the interest this achievement 
has excited, I have no objection to declare publicly that it 
has been effected by means strictly philosophical; and, well 
knowing the plan adopted by Mr. Seymour of teaching his 
children the first principles of science by means of sport, I 
will in confidence communicate to him the philosophical ex¬ 
pedient of which I have availed myself for the accomplish¬ 
ment of this long-sought for object.” (20.) 

The next booth into which our party entered was that of 
Crank Smirky, the celebrated conjurer, who invited the com¬ 
pany to witness his wonderful display of the art of legerde¬ 
main : he was dressed as an astrologer, with a loose gown of 
green velvet, and a red cap ; he had a long gray beard, and 
his nose was bestraddled by a pair of green spectacles; while 
in his hand he held the mystic rod, or conjuring stick, to 
which tradition has ascribed so many magical influences. 

u Ladies and gentlemen,” said the mystic professor, “ I 
shall have the honor of convincing you this day that my sin¬ 
gle hand is more than a match for all the sharp eyes of Over- 
ton. You will admit that a beautiful eye makes silence elo¬ 
quent,—a kind eye, contradiction an assent,—and an enraged 
eye, beauty deformed; but my hand shall, by its magic influ- 


* See page S2. 



420 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


ence, make eloquence dumb, assent a contradiction, and de¬ 
formity beautiful.” 

So saying, tbe professor beckoned a villager, who sat near 
the stage, to approach and assist him in the performance of 
his first grand trick. 

“Dobby,” exclaimed his terrified wife, “ sit thee still; that 
man has dealings with the old one: I would not that he 
should touch your garment for all the gingerbread in the 
fair.” 

This exclamation of the terrified wife set the whole audi¬ 
ence in a roar, and produced a confusion which the skillful 
conjurer is always anxious t,o create when any sly work is to 
be performed. In truth, this scene had been previously con¬ 
certed by the renowned Crank Smirky, who had engaged 
this said Dobby as his confederate. A series of very amusing 
tricks were then performed with cards and counters; such, 
for instance, as desirmg some person to draw a card from the 
pack, and, having observed what it was, to return it; which 
card, to the wonder of the company, was immediately found 
in Dobby’s pocket. Mr. Seymour informed his children that 
the explanation of this trick would serve to show the man¬ 
ner in which most of the deceptions on cards were performed. 
He said that the conjurer’s pack of cards always contained a 
card, technically termed a “ brief card,” or, “ the old gentle¬ 
man f which is one made on purpose by the card-maker, and 
is a little larger than any of the rest; the performer always 
knows it by feeling it, and can easily force it upon the unsuspect¬ 
ing drawer; should he, however, attempt to take any other, 
the conjurer, under some pretence, shuffles again, till at length 
he induces him to take the one intended for him. After the 
card has been introduced again into the pack, the performer, 
without any difficulty, withdraws it, and the confederate is 
called upon to produce the duplicate which had been previ¬ 
ously placed in his pocket. 

The children were told that the several deceptions with 
coin, or counters, which they had witnessed, were accom¬ 
plished by a species of dexterity acquired only by practice, 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


421 


and termed “palming ;” it consisted in being able to retain 
a shilling, halfpenny, or counter, in the palm of the hand, 
while it remained extended. Thus the performer desires any 
one to reckon five pieces, which are accordingly placed on 
the table before him; the conjurer then takes them up, and, 
having dexterously palmed one, he adds it to the number as 
he places it in the hand of the unsuspecting person. 

Tom and his sisters expressed themselves much pleased and 
surprised with the dexterity of the performer; u But,” added 
the intelligent boy, “I should be much more gratified by 
tricks that were indebted for their mystery to some philo¬ 
sophical principle.” 

Mr. Seymour and the vicar again interchanged looks that 
strongly marked the feelings which had been excited by this 
observation. The former, turning to his son, said, that if he 
waited patiently, he would be shortly gratified in that wish, 
for he knew Crank Smirky was prepared to exhibit some rec¬ 
reations in divination, that were founded on the science of 
numbers. 

Nor was Mr. Seymour mistaken; for, after a few more 
specimens of his dexterity, the conjurer requested Mr. Twad- 
dleton, who was sitting directly in his front, to take an even 
number of counters in one hand, and an odd number in the 
other; and he would tell him, he said, in which hand he 
held the even number. Mr. Twaddleton having complied 
with the request, he was further desired to multiply the num¬ 
ber in the right hand by any even number he pleased, as, for 
instance, 2; and that in the left hand by an odd number, as 8. 

u I have done so,” said the vicar. 

“ Then be pleased to add together the two products, and 
tell me whether the sum be odd or even.” 

“ It is odd,” replied Mr. Twaddleton. 

“If so,” said the conjuror, “the even number of counters 
will be in your right hand.” 

The vicar exposed the counters, and admitted the correct¬ 
ness of the conjurer’s decision. (21.) 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” exclaimed the man of mystery, 
80 



PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


m 


“1 now humbly crave yonr silent attention, while I exhibit 
one of the most wonderful examples of my art. Here is a 
ring,—there a shilling,—and there a glove. I shall presently 
request each of the three gentlemen before me to take one of 
those articles so secretly as to prevent the possibility of my 
discovering the choice he may have made. I have here, you 
nerceive, twenty-four counters, one of which I shall give to 
you, Mr. Seymour; two to you, reverend sir; and three to 
you, my young philosopher; the remaining eighteen shall 
remain on the table. How,. gentlemen, I shall retire, and, 
during my absence, you will be so good as to distribute the 
three articles in any way you may think proper.” 

The professor, accordingly, walked off the stage; when Mr. 
Seymour took the ring, the vicar the shilling, and Tom Sey¬ 
mour the glove. The conjurer, on his return, said that he had 
one more favor to request,—that the person who had the ring 
should take from the eighteen counters on the table as many 
as he already possessed; the one with the shilling twice as 
many; and the person with the glove four times as many, as 
he'before possessed. The conjurer again retired, in order 
that the distribution might be made without his observing it. 
On returning, the conjurer, having first cast his eye upon the 
counters that remained on the table, informed the company 
that Mr. Seymour had taken the ring, Mr. Twaddleton the 
shilling, and the young gentleman the glove. The moment 
the parties assented to this decision, the whole company ex¬ 
pressed their satisfaction and astonishment by thunders of 
applause. 

“ That is really very ingenious,” observed the vicar. 

“How could he perform it?” said Tom: “it is evident 
that his only guide was the number of counters left on the 
board.” 

“ I understand the process by which it was accomplished, 
and will endeavor, at some future time, .to explain it,” replied 
Mr. Seymour (22). 

The next performance was that of the “ Mysterious Lady,” 
an exhibition which had created a very unusual sensation 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


423 


during the preceding London season; persons of all ranks 
having visited her saloon in Piccadilly. An explanation of 
the means by which her exploits were accomplished will be 
hereafter duly afforded; at present we have only, as specta¬ 
tors, to describe the passing scene. (23.) 

At the end of a long booth, and with a considerable space 
between her and the audience, sat a veiled lady, with her 
back to the company. The confederate, or person charged 
with the conduct of the entertainment, then presented him¬ 
self, and, passing along the ranks of spectators, very courte¬ 
ously, in a subdued tone of voice, challenged any lady or gen¬ 
tleman to ask a question, or to place in his hand any con¬ 
venient article he might have about his person, in order that 
the “ Mysterious Lady” might answer the one or describe the 
other. 

It must be stated that, in each case, the confederate was to 
be told in a whisper the particular information demanded, 
when with that knowledge lie proceeded to put his question 
to the w Mysterious Lady,” and to obtain her answer. The 
following examples may serve to explain the manner in which 
the process was conducted: 

*1.— Q. State this gentleman’s usual breakfast-hour. 

A. Ten o’clock. 

2. — Q. Let us know the number of persons usually assem¬ 
bled at this meal. 

A. Six ; that is , Jive without himself. 

The confederate now produced a pack of cards, and de¬ 
sired some one of the company to place any number of them 
he pleased in his hand. 

3. — Q. Mention the number of cards I hold in my hand. 

A. Seven. 

4. — Q. And which is the top card? 

A. A Club. 

5. — Q. What club ? 

A. The Queen of Clubs. 

* The questions aro here numbered for the sake of future reference in the 
notes. 



424 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


“ Now, madam,” said the confederate, addressing a lady on 
the front bench, “ have the kindness to place in my hand any 
convenient article yon may have about yon.” 

6. — Q. Listen!—let us know what this lady has placed in 
my hand. 

A. A fourpenny piece. 

7. — Q. Come, pray say what this gentleman lias given me. 

A. A Seal. 

8. — Q. Yes; say what is on it. 

A. A coat of arms. 

9. — Q. Tell us what this gentleman had for dinner yester¬ 
day—begin with fish. 

A. He had codfish. 

10. — Q. Let us know what meat. 

A. Beef. 

11. — Q. Undoubtedly you can tell what followed. 

A. A tart. 

12. — Q. Now mention what this lady has placed in my hand. 

A. A ring. 

13. — Q. I beg you to say in what month did this gentleman 
come to town. 

A. In May. 

14. — Q. On what day ? 

A. On the eighth. 

At this stage of the proceedings one of the major’s guests, 
a learned member of the bar, impatient, no doubt, to signal¬ 
ize himself as an acute hand in a cross-examination, insisted 
upon questioning the lady himself, without any interference 
of the confederate: “For that purpose,” said he, “I have 
taken from my pocket a curious cameo, and I beg you, sir, 
who have hitherto constituted yourself as the only medium 
of communication, to notice it silently, and leave me to put 
my questions.” To winch the confederate, after inspecting 
the cameo, merely said,—“ Somewhat quaint—it’s remarka¬ 
bly relieved—every line—” 

u Stop, sir,” interrupted the learned gentleman; 1 not an- 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


425 


other word.—Now, madam,” continued he, glancing as he 
spoke an assuring smile upon the audience, as much as to 
say, Now mark how skill can detect deception! “I hold in 
my hand a rare cameo, and I beg you to answer this question: 

15.— Q. M What is the design figured upon it ?” 

u It is a squirrel ',” was the correct and ready answer of 
the lady. 

The learned counsel suddenly dropped upon his seat like 
a person completely beaten and bewildered, while the exulta¬ 
tion, most unmercifully expressed at his discomfiture, was 
any thing but calculated to restore his confidence and self¬ 
esteem. 

The audience now retired, filled with astonishment; and 
many were the conjectures as to the means by which the 
performances were accomplished; ventriloquism, mesmerism, 
acoustics, optical contrivances, were, each in its turn, sug¬ 
gested as affording the most satisfactory solution of the prob¬ 
lem; whereas, the reader will hereafter find that the real 
secret was nothing more than an ingenious cipher, the key 
of which will be described in a supplementary note (22). 

The wonderful feats of the Fire King, or, the M King of 
the Salamanders,” as he styled himself, became the next 
center of attraction; an exhibition which realized all the 
legends of the fiery ordeal of former ages, and proved that 
philosophy can even penetrate into the dark mysteries and 
superstitions of priestcraft, and explain, by the aid of natural 
agency, phenomena long regarded as evidences of superhuman 
interposition. 

His first exploit consisted in the display of a much-soiled 
garment, which he held out for inspection, and demanded to 
know how ordinary mortals would proceed for its purifica¬ 
tion. The vicar, who was seated on the front seat, being in 
the humor of “ thinking aloud” as the phrase is, audibly de¬ 
clared, to the no small amusement of the major and his party, 
that “ they would wash it in the stream, and dry it on the 
shelly sands, even as did the maidens whom Ulysses descried 
on the shores of Phseacia.” If Socrates were guided by his 

36* 




426 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOUT 


familiar spirit, it is equally clear that the worthy vicar must 
have thus spoken through the inspiration of the classical ge¬ 
nius that ever presided over his thoughts and actions; for he 
afterward declared he had not been conscious of having given 
an audible expression to what he acknowledged had been 
passing through his mind on the instant. 

“ I well know,” said the Tire King, “ that such might be 
the usual mode of proceeding—but, behold mine!”—upon 
which he threw the garment upon a dish of burning char¬ 
coal, and after a short interval drew it forth perfectly white, 
and unscathed by the fire. 

“This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I consider my intro¬ 
ductory experiment. I shall proceed to convince you that, 
like the Salamander, I can plunge my hand into molten lead, 
and red-hot copper, in a state of fusion, with perfect safety 
and impunity.” 

This extraordinary feat ho performed with great delibera¬ 
tion and self-possession, and it called forth expressions as va 
ried as the intelligences and susceptibilities of those who 
witnessed it: consternation, incredulity, doubt, and admira¬ 
tion were the feelings simultaneously excited, but very un 
equally apportioned among the assembled company ; while a 
very few thought they could recognize the application of 
some philosophical principle. 

In conformity with the custom of all wonder-workers, in 
order to sustain the interest of the spectators, he reserved 
what he considered the most marvelous of his exploits, as 
the crowning wonder of the entertainment. 

“Behold!” cried he, “a red-hot crucible; and know, ye 
of little faith' that I am prepared to freeze some spring-water 
in it!”—upon which he poured into its burning interior a 
given quantity of water, adding at the same time a small 
portion of some unknown liquid; when, in a very short time, 
he extracted from the crucible, still visibly glowing, a notable 
mass of ice! 

As if this were not deemed sufficient to appease the most 
inordinate appetite for the marvelous, or enough to tax the 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


427 


credulity of the gaping spectators, the Fire King no soon¬ 
er displayed the ice so wonderfully produced, than, by 
casting upon it a small particle, he actually set fire to it, 
and thus caused it to burn with a bright flame for several 
seconds! 

44 Most wonderful!” exclaimed the vicar; 44 4 the fire had 
power in the water, forgetting his own virtue; and the water 
forgat his own quenching nature.’ ”* 

44 That it is truly astonishing, I must admit,” added the 
major. 

Mr. Seymour, however, did not concur in these expressions 
of surprise, but told his friends that he believed all the phe¬ 
nomena they had witnessed might be satisfactorily explained 
by a law relating to the conduction of heat to bodies in a 
certain condition, and which had only of late years been 
made the subject of investigation. 

After the exhibition of the prodigies of Fire, came one that 
displayed the wonders of Light. 

It consisted in a variety of optical representations and illu¬ 
sions. The camera obscura presented a moving picture of 
the surrounding scene. The phantasmagoria exhibited a va¬ 
riety of ghastly objects, which, alternately receding from, and 
approaching the audience, called forth shrieks of terror and 
amazement. Among the most appalling of these figures was 
the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow, so inimitably de¬ 
scribed in the Sketch Book: it will be remembered that, the 
body of this trooper having been buried in the churchyard, 
its ghost was believed to ride forth every night in quest of its 
head, and that the rushing speed with which he passed along 
the hollow, like a midnight blast, was owing to his being in 
a hurry to get back to the churchyard before daybreak. 
This rapid movement was admirably represented in the phan¬ 
tasmagoria : at first the figure appeared extremely diminutive, 
and at a great distance; but almost immediately its size became 
gigantic, and it seemed as if within a few feet of the au¬ 
dience, and then suddenly vanished. After an instant of utter 
* Wisdom of Solomon, chap, xix, v. 20. 



428 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


darkness, the figure was again visible at a great distance: the 
schoolmaster, Crane, was also seen belaboring the starveling 
ribs of his steed, old Gunpowder, and quickening his pace 
toward the very spot where the specter was stationed. The 
whole audience were breatliless with horror. Crane arrived 
at the bridge, over which the headless figure opposed his 
passage. “Mercy upon us!” cried a faint voice x from one of 
the back seats; “ the ghost has found his head, and is carry¬ 
ing it before him on the pommel of his saddle.”—“Hush, 
hush!” cried another voice. Crane’s horse had taken fright; 
away he dashed through thick and thin ; stones flying and 
sparks Slashing at every bound. Crane’s flimsy garments 
fluttered in the air, as he stretched his long lank body away 
over his horse’s head, in the eagerness of his flight. The gob¬ 
lin pressed hard upon him; he was not more than a yard be¬ 
hind him, when he was seen to take up his head, and with 
gigantic force to hurl it at the pedagogue; it encountered his 
cranium with a tremendous crash ; he was tumbled headlong 
in the dust; the goblin whisked past like a whirlwind, and 
the company were once again in total darkness. 

“ Upon my •word,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “ this is one 
of the most cqmplete illusions I ever witnessed.” 

“ It is most ingeniously managed,” said the vicar. 

“Papa,” said Tom, “I am quite impatient to learn how so 
extraordinary an effect can have been produced. You told 
me this morning that a phantasmagoria was nothing more 
than an improved magic lantern; but how is it possible for 
the slides to be so managed as to make the figures approach 
and retire from you, and, above all, to make them move their 
bodies, and throw their arms into different attitudes?” 

“ In the first place, the figures only appear to approach 
you, for they are thrown upon a surface which never changes 
its place; the whole is therefore an optical illusion, arising 
from the fact that we estimate the distance of an object by 
its apparent magnitude; when, therefore, the figure began to 
diminish in size, the mind instantly assumed that it was re¬ 
ceding from the eye; and the illusion was still further height- 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


429 


ened by the absence of all other objects* oy which it might 
be compared.” 

At this moment Mr. Seymo 1 : ;• was interrupted by the ap¬ 
pearance of the performer, who announced his intention of 
submitting another optical illusion, which, he trusted, would 
uilord equal satisfaction, 

A series of extraordinary effects were now exhibited by 
means of concave mirrors, f Aerial images were produced, 
so illusive in their appearance, that the spectators could not 
believe in their immateriality until they attempted to grasp 
them. In this manner were presented flowers, fruit, a human 
skull, and a dagger; the latter of which terrified the specta¬ 
tor by the sudden and violent manner in which its point ap¬ 
proached him. With this illusion the amusements concluded; 
the light of day was admitted ; and the performer, stepping 
forward, announced the termination of his exhibition in the 
words of Shakspeare: 

“ Our revels now are ended: these our actors, 

As I foretold you, were all spirits, and 
Are melted into air, into thin air.” 

The villagers, as they poured out of the booth, and mingled 
with their companions in the fair, with their wonted propen¬ 
sity for the marvelous, related in most exaggerated terms, the 
wonders. they had encountered in the region of shadows. 
Nothing is swallowed with more avidity than tales of mys¬ 
tery, especially if spiced with a few grains of horror ; we can¬ 
not, therefore, be surprised at the anxiety so generally mani¬ 
fested by those who had not yet witnessed the optical per¬ 
formances, to exchange their tickets for such as would secure 
their admission into the popular booth. 

The next entertainment was a display of ventriloquism, by 
a pupil of the celebrated Baron de Mengen. 

* It is to this latter circumstance that the panorama is principally indebted 
for its magical effects. 

t Sir David Brewster has enumerated various extraoi dinary illusions, which 
may he thus produced, in his work on Natural Magic. 





430 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


“ Now,” said the vicar, “ we are to witness a deception 
upon tlie ear, such as we have just seen practised on the 
eye.” 

Mr. Twaddleton was quite correct in this observation; for, 
notwithstanding all the mystery with which the subject has 
been invested by credulity, ventriloquism is nothing more 
than a skillful modulation of the voice, so as to imitate the 
gradations of sound, as they affect the ear in nature under 
all the circumstances of distance and obstruction; in short, 
imposing upon the ear as a perspective painting does upon 
the eye. At the same time, the deception is heightened by 
directing the attention to particular points; for we never 
distinguish very accurately the quarter from which sounds 
approach, and our imagination is apt to refer to the spot to 
which our attention has been artfully directed. The ventril¬ 
oquist, moreover, better to conceal the movement of his lips, 
takes care to select such words as do not contain labial con¬ 
sonants. 

In this booth were also exhibited the several interesting 
effects produced by the modification and reflection of sound, 
as already described. Tom Plank undertook the “ Invisible 
Girl” and to his credit be it recorded that lie performed his 
part most successfully. Well acquainted with the sundry 
little secret partialities of his fellow-villagers, he contrived to 
make the Invisible Girl give answers that tinged the face of 
many a fair maiden with a blush, while the hearts of the fa¬ 
vored swains palpitated with unexpected joy. 

The crowd was now dispersed by the appearance of a pla¬ 
card, announcing the suspension of all the performances for 
two hours; and informing the populace that the interval 
would be devoted to various sports and pastimes in the ad¬ 
joining field. 

The revelers accordingly hastened to the spot where the 
several sports were to take place, and to which they were 
directed by the sound of a bugle. 

We have stated that a small inclosure had been prepared 
for the youths of the village, who were tr perform the u Ludus 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


431 


Trojce” or Troy Game. The major and his party had taken 
possession of the seats placed for their accommodation nnder 
an awning; and the hoys, classically dressed, and furnished 
with little arms and weapons, were mustered in circo. Each 
youth was mounted on a pony; and the troop having rode 
round the ring, and surveyed the spectators, the vicar arose 
from his seat, and, like the sage Epytides, gave the signal of 
attack by a crack of the whip. They now arranged them¬ 
selves in two battalions, and, hurling their javelins with an 
air of proud defiance, wheeled and charged, and urged the 
sportive war. At the conclusion of the game, the vicar called 
the principal youth, or “princeps juventutis” and presented 
him with a basket of fruit, which he desired him to divide 
among his companions. 

The populace now separated into different groups: one 
party proceeded to witness a wrestling-match; another to 
see the foot-race; a third to he present at a match of quoits; 
for the vicar had provided all these games, in imitation of the 
ancient PentJialuvi or Quinqueriium. While observing the 
game of quoits, the vicar displayed much classical erudition; 
he said that Homer had represented Ajax au<l Uhsses as 
greatly skilled in the sport; and that Ovid, when he brings 
in Apollo and Hyacinth playing at it, had gi ven a very ele¬ 
gant description of the exercise,* although it suggested a 
caution in the practice of it. The vicar also reminded us that 
Perseus had thus unfortunately killed his grandfather. Scali- 
ger, he continued, is of opinion, that the throwing the discus , 
or quoit, is but an improvement of the old sport of .casting 
the sheephook; a conjecture which, the vicar thought, re¬ 
ceived some support from a passage in the fourth Iliad. 

“ Mr. Twaddleton,” cried Mr. Seymour, “ you look at every 
sport with the eye of a classic or antiquary ; I, on the other 
hand, as you well know, cautiously examine every action, to 
discover whether some scientific principle may not find an 
illustration. On the present occasion, I am desirous of direct- 


* Ovid’s Metamorphoses, lib. x. 




432 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT 


Log the attention of the children to the manner in which 
yonder skillful player hurls his quoit.” 

“I do not exactly comprehend the object they have in 
view in throwing the quoits,” said Louisa. 

“ Do you not perceive that two iron pins, or hobs, are 
driven into the ground, at the distance of eighteen or twenty 
yards asunder?” asked her father. 

“ To be sure, and I suppose that each player attempts to 
hit one of those pins.” 

“ The players stand at one of the hobs, and throw an equal 
number of quoits at the other; the nearest of them to the 
hob are reckoned toward the game. When they have cast 
all their quoits, the candidates go over to the point at which 
they have been throwing, and, when they have determined 
the state of the game, they throw their quoits batik again at 
the hob where they had before stood ; and thus continue to 
act, on alternate sides, till the game is ended.” 

“ I now understand it,” cried Louisa. 

u You doubtless know, Mr. Twaddleton,” said Mr. Seymour, 
“ that the casting of stones, darts, and other missiles, was 
among the amusements practiced in the twelfth century by 
the young Londoners.” 

“ Casting of the barf replied the vicar, “ was formerly a 
part of a hero’s education; and kings and princes were ad¬ 
mired for their agility and grace in throwing ‘ the stone, the 
bar, and the plummet.’ Henry the Eighth, even after Ids 
accession to the throne, retained the casting of the bar among 
his favorite amusements. The sledge-hammer, and, among 
rustics, an axle-tree, were also used for the same purpose as 
the bar and the stoned’ 

“ The game of quoits is certainly far superior to such pas¬ 
times,'” said Mr. Seymour, “on account of its depending 
less on mere strength, and more upon superior skill.” 

“ Did not you say, papa, that its action would illustrate 
some principle of science ? I have been looking at the quojt, 
which I perceive is a circular piece of iron with a hole in the 






MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


433 


middle, blit I cannot discover in what manner any scientific 
principle can be connected with its motion.” 

“ If you will attentively observe a skillful player, you will 
perceive that he steadies the flight of the quoit, by imparting 
to it a spinning motion; were he not thus to rifle it, you 
would find that it would fly very far from the mark.” 

“ Upon the same principle, I suppose, that we impart to 
the ball a spinning motion at the game of bilboquet /” said 
Louisa. 

“ Precisely so,” replied her father, who also stated that the 
body was made to rotate on its shorter axis, for the reasons 
before explained ;* and that while whirling through the air it 
always preserves its plane, whatever the position of that plane 
may be, and however it may be inclined to the direction in 
which the quoit travels. He moreover observed that it 
affords an excellent illustration of the motion of the earth 
round the sun, showing how the axis of rotation remains par¬ 
allel to itself during its annual journey without any respect 
whatever to the sun. 

The “ penthalum” having been concluded, the populace 
retired into several booths which were appropriated to refresh¬ 
ments. The shows then recommenced; those not already 
described were principally devoted to the exhibition of wild 
animals, an entertainment which the vicar considered as sanc¬ 
tioned by the highest classical authority; although he at 
once rejected a proposition made by the major to render the 
amusement still more in accordance with ancient custom, by 
encouraging a fight between a lion and a tiger. 

The hour had now arrived for the grand banquet; and, by 
the command of the major the band paraded the fair, playing 
the inviting tune of “Oh, the roast beef of Old England!” 
The populace hastened to the tent, and each took his place 
according to the number upon his ticket. 

We shall not detain our readers by an account of the din¬ 
ner ; it will be sufficient to state, in the language gener¬ 
ally used upon such occasions, that the whole went off with 

* Page 149. 

37 



434 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET 


great eclat , and gave universal satisfaction to the delighted 
guests. 

For the amusement of his military friends, the major had 
made arrangements for reviving the ancient game of quintain, 
to be played after the banquet. It may be necessary to state 
that the quintain is a pastime of high antiquity. It was origi¬ 
nally nothing more than the trunk of a tree, or a post set up 
for the practice of young beginners in chivalry. Afterward 
a staff, or spear, was fixed in the earth, and a shield hung 
upon it was the mark to strike at. The dexterity of the 
performer consisted in smiting the shield in such a manner as 
to break the fastening and to bring it to the ground. In pro¬ 
cess of time this diversion was much improved; instead of 
the staff and shield a grotesque wooden figure was introduced, 
and it was so-contrived to move upon a pivot, that if it were 
struck unskillfully it would turn out and give the performer 
a severe blow. The quintain which the major had prepared 
for the present occasion consisted of a wooden figure fixed 
upon a pivot, and holding in its outstretched arm a bag of 
flour. Those who ran at it and missed it were, of course, 
laughed at; while he who struck the figure full with his 
lance gave the beam a sudden whirl; and, unless he was very 
nimble, was covered with flour from the bag which was thus 
brought into contact with him. 

The reader must now consent to retire from the scene of 
frolic, and leave the villagers to the undisturbed enjoyment of 
their jollity. The major and his party returned to the house, 
where they remained until the hour approached at which the 
fireworks were to be discharged, and the festivities of the day 
concluded. Mr. Seymour accompanied his children to the 
stage erected for the pyrotechnic exhibition, in order that he 
might explain the construction of the fireworks before they 
witnessed them in action. 

“Upon my word, the major has provided most liberally 
for our entertainment!” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, as he as¬ 
cended the steps which led to the platform: “ I declare there 
is a forest of rockets ! and what magnificent Pin-wheels, Tour - 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


435 


billons , Marroons , Pofo des Aigrettes , Gerbes , Gourantines y 
and Roman Gandies /” 

u Are those paper cylinders, with long sticks, rockets ?’ 
inquired Tom. 

“ They are; and if you will attend to me, I will explain the 
principle of their construction. They have ever been con¬ 
sidered as holding the first place among single fireworks, and 
deservedly so; not only on account of the splendid appear 
ance they present when fired by themselves, but from their 
extensive application in increasing the beauty of other exhi¬ 
bitions. The rocket, you perceive, consists of a strong paper 
cylinder, which is filled with a suitable composition; it is 
crowned with a head, or ‘pot ,’ as it is technically termed, 
charged with various materials, which throws out sparks, 
stars, and other decorations, as soon as it takes fire in the 
air, after the body of the rocket has been consumed. You 
may observe that the head is made to terminate in a point, 
which greatly facilitates its passage through the air. The 
whole is affixed to a straight stick, which, like the rudder of 
a ship, makes it turn to that side toward which it is inclined, 
and consequently causes the rocket to ascend in a straight 
line.” 

“ But, papa,” observed Louisa, “ all the rockets have not 
straight rods; see, there is one with a crooked stick.” 

“ That is for the purpose of causing the rocket to ascend in 
the form of a screw : the first effect of the bent rod will be to 
make the rocket incline toward that side to which it is bent; 
but its center of gravity bringing it afterward into a vertical 
situation, the result of these two opposite efforts will be, that 
the rocket will ascend in a zigzag or spiral form. In this 
case, however, since it displaces a greater volume of air, and 
describes a longer line, it will not ascend so high as if it had 
been impelled in a straight direction; but I think you will 
admit that, on account of the singularity of this motion, it 
produces a very agreeable effect.” 

“ And what causes the rocket to ascend into the air?” 
asked Tom. 



436 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ It is a subject which has engaged the attention of several 
most distinguished philosophers; the explanation, however, 
afforded by Dr. Hutton appears to me to be the most satis¬ 
factory. He says, ‘ that at the moment when the powder 
begins to inflame, its expansion produces a torrent of elastic 
fluid, which acts in every direction; that is, against the air 
which opposes its escape from the cartridge, and against the 
upper part of the rocket; but the resistance of the air is more 
considerable than the weight of the rocket, on account of the 
extreme rapidity with which the elastic fluid issues through 
the neck of the rocket to throw itself downward, and there¬ 
fore the rocket ascends by the excess of the one of these 
forces over the other.’ ” 

Tom observed, that he thought Dr. Hutton’s explanation 
very simple and plausible. 

“ Dr. Hutton adds,” continued Mr. Seymour, “ that the 
rocket could not rise unless a sufficient quantity of elastic 
fluid were produced, and hence arose the expedient of pier¬ 
cing the rocket with a conical hole, so as to make the compo¬ 
sition burn in conical strata, which, having much greater sur¬ 
face, produce a much greater quantity of inflamed matter and 
elastic fluid. Without such a contrivance the composition 
would inflame only in circular coats of a diameter equal to 
that of the rocket; and experience has shown that this is not 
sufficient for the purpose. Some years ago a plan was sug¬ 
gested for producing the propulsion of a vessel in this way; 
by the force of a steam-engine a stream of water was to be 
shot out of the stern, the impulse of which, upon the water 
in the river, was to push forward the boat. It is a curious 
fact, that nature has employed the same expedient for the 
motion of some aquatic insects. The larva of the dragon-fly, 
according to Adams, swims forward by ejecting water from 
its tail.” 

“ What are those fireworks attached to the lines ?” asked 
Tom: 

“Those, my dear, are line-rockets, or courantines* and 

* From the French term courant, signifying running. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


437 


which, instead of rising into the air, run along the line to 
which they are attached by means of a hollow cylinder. Their 
motion is to he explained upon the same principle as that of 
the sky-rocket; a force is generated by the escape of elastic 
matter, and, as the rocket is confined to the rope, it is made 
to run along the line, instead of ascending into the air.” 

u That is clear enough,” said Louisa; “ but see, papa, there 
is the figure of a dragon on yonder rope!” 

“ That is merely a runner for the courantine, which is con¬ 
structed in that form for the purpose of rendering the exhi¬ 
bition more surprising. I dare say it is filled with various 
compositions, such as golden rain, and fires of different colors, 
which will greatly heighten the effect; indeed, this pyrotech¬ 
nic amusement may be infinitely varied.” 

“ Are not those pin-wheels, which are elevated above the* 
railing ?” said Tom. 

“ Yes; they are pin or Catherine wheels; and if you will 
look at them, you will perceive that they are of very simple 
construction; consisting merely of a long paper tube, filled 
with inflammable matter, and rolled round a small circle of 
wood, so as to form a helix or spiral line.” 

“ The circle of wood, I suppose, is pierced in the middle for 
the purpose of receiving a pin, by which the wheel is attached 
to the post,” said Tom. 

“ Exactly so; and the cause of their revolution is the same 
as that which produces the flight of the rocket; the impulse 
of the air forces back the ignited part of the wheel, which 
generates, as it were, a centrifugal force, while the attachment 
of the pipe, by preventing its obeying such a force, may be 
said to represent the centripetal force, and thus is the revolu¬ 
tion of the wheel continued, until the whole of the composition 
is consumed.” 

“ I think you told us, when speaking of the thaumatrope * 
it was the rapidity with which the flame revolved that occa¬ 
sioned the star-like appearance which is exhibited by this 
firework,” observed Louisa. 

* See page 376. 


37 * 



438 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


“ Undoubtedly, my dear; it cannot be otherwise.” 

The party now examined the remaining specimens of the 
pyrotechnic art. Mr. Seymour informed them that marroons 
were nothing more than small cubical boxes, filled with a 
composition proper for making them burst, and thence pro¬ 
ducing a loud report. He said that they were principally 
used in combination with other pieces, or to form a battery, 
in which, by different lengths of quick-match, they were 
made to explode at distinct intervals. Mr. Seymour added, 
that when the cases were made cylindrical, instead of being 
cubical, they exchanged the name of marroon for that of sau- 
cisson. Louisa inquired the nature of certain cylindrical cases 
she observed on the stage, and was informed that they were 
gerbes , a species of firework which throws up a luminous and 
sparkling jet of fire, and, from a supposed resemblance to a 
water-spout, has derived the appellation of gerbe. Mr. Sey¬ 
mour next pointed out to Tom a row of Homan candles , some 
of which were fixed quite perpendicular, others inclining at 
different angles, so that the balls might be projected to various 
distances, and thus produce a more varied effect. He ob¬ 
served, that, to his taste, it was by far the most beautiful 
firework ever exhibited. 

“I am quite impatient for the exhibition,” cried Tom; 
“ pray, papa, what is the hour ? I think it was determined 
to let them off at ten o’clock.” 

“ It is now about eight o’clock; we will therefore return 
to the house; we shall, however, I suspect, have a curious 
sight to witness on our way through the fair; for by this 
time every booth is illuminated.” 

The scene was indescribably beautiful, and might be said to 
resemble an enchanted island. The trees were lighted up with 
an endless profusion of Chinese lanterns, of various colors, 
and decorated with fantastic transparencies, which produced 
an effect highly graceful and pleasing. The booths were richly 
studded with lights; and, near the platform, on which the 
villagers were enjoying the country dance, was erected a pyra¬ 
mid, which blazed with several hundred variegated lamps. 



MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


439 


At ten o’clock the commencement of the fireworks was an 
nonneed by a shower of rockets. The mnsic ceased; and the 
dancers, together with the spectators who had gathered 
around the platform, hastened to the spot, whither they were 
summoned by the sounds of trumpets, to witness the pyro¬ 
technic entertainment which was to crown the festivities of 
the day. 

The little Seymours had been stationed by their father in 
the most favorable spot for seeing the exhibition; and highly 
were the major and his party delighted with the observations 
which fell from the intelligent children on the occasion. 

“ Observe, Louisa, the rocket as it ascends describes a pa¬ 
rabola!”* cried Tom. 

“ Oh, how extremely beautiful! see, the head has burst, and 
is discharging a number of brilliant stars! What is that red 
spark which is now falling to the ground, papa ?” 

“ That is the ignited stick of the rocket,” replied his father. 

“ Take care, Louisa, do not hold your face up,” exclaimed 
Tom; “for as the rocket bursts over our heads, the stick 
may fall upon us.” 

“ I scarcely expected such an observation, Tom,” said his 
father, “ after the sensible remark you just made respecting 
the parabolic path of the rocket; do not you remember, 
that, when a projectile has reached its greatest altitude* it 
will descend in a curve similar to that in which it ascended?” 

“ True, true,” answered Tom; “I see my error: the stick 
must, of course, fall at a considerable distance from us.” 

“ Look! look!! There goes a courcmtine ! how it ran along 
the rope!” exclaimed Louisa. 

“There goes another!” cried Tom; “and see, it is the 
dragon; and I declare there is another running in an opposite 

* A scientific critic has offered the following ju9t remark upon this passage: 
“ The rocket ascends by a constantly acting force, not by a momentary im¬ 
pulse, as though it were shot from a gun. Supposing the force arising from 
combustion to be proportionate to the weight of the rocket, as long as the force 
continues to be generated, the rocket must move in a straight line; after 
which, having only its own momentum to oppose its gravitation, it will pro¬ 
ceed in a parabolic curve.” 



440 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT 


direction;—they meet. Look at the serpents which they 
discharge from their mouths! Now they return to the ex¬ 
tremity of the line with great violence. What an explo¬ 
sion!!!” 

In like manner were next exhibited two ships, which, be¬ 
ing filled with serpents, were made to pour their broadsides 
at each other. 

“ I never saw better courantines,” said Mr. Seymour; “ the 
major really conducts the exhibition with great skill; it does 
him infinite credit as an engineer.” 

“ See—see, papa! what a large wheel of fire! and the 
figure of a man in the center.” 

“ A classical device of the vicar, beyond all doubt. It is 
Ixion on a wheel encompassed by hissing serpents,” observed 
his father.* 

This conjecture was soon verified, for the vicar, with his 
vsual animation, was heard to exclaim— 

“ ‘ . . . tortosque Ixionis angues, 

Immanemque rotam,’ 

as Virgil has it.” 

Another display of rockets succeeded, which burst forth in 
showers of golden tears, emerald stars, and ruby balls; many 
of which changed during their course into other colors, or 
discharged nests of fiery serpents. 

(Bang)—(bang)—(bang)— 

“ There go the marroons,” said Mr. Seymour. 

The band now struck up a march, and the major com¬ 
pletely succeeded, by having arranged different lengths of 
quick-match, in making them explode at appropriate inter¬ 
vals, so as to mark correctly the commencement of each bar 
of the music which was performing. 

“Bravo! bravo!” exclaimed Mr. Seymour; “had Handel 

* At a fete given at the Observatory, Campden Hill, Kensington, on the 4th 
of'July, 1849, in honor of the birthday of the Earl of Rosse, the liberal host, 
among a variety of pyrotechnic devices, exhibited the above piece, at the sug¬ 
gestion of the author, with very considerable effect. 




MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST. 


441 


witnessed such an effect, lie would have engaged the major 
as a performer in his grand choruses.” 

“ See! what a beautiful fountain of fire—there! now a 
most brilliant star is ejected!”— 

“ It is a Roman candle,” said Mr. Seymour. 

A variety of different rockets were next exploded; such 
as “ Towering rockets,” so called from their ascending to a 
greater height than any others; an effect which is produced 
by fixing a smaller rocket on the top of another of superior 
dimensions; “ Honorary rockets,” which, when they attain 
their greatest height, communicate fire to other rockets affixed 
to them in a transverse direction, and thus produce a rapid 
revolution, and represent, on their return to the ground, a 
spiral of descending fire; “ Gaduceus rockets,” so called from 
their resemblance, when in action, to the rod borne by Mer¬ 
cury : the effect is produced by firing two rockets obliquely 
on the opposite sides of a rod, so that they may form in their 
flight two spiral lines; and “ Shell rockets,” which, like the 
arrow of Acestes, suddenly kindled into light as they passed 
rapidly through the air.* 

The beautiful effect of Coloeed Fiees was next displayed; 
red and green being those selected for the sake of contrast. 
To succeed in this exhibition it is essential that it should take 
place amidst shrubs and trees, and that the immediate source 
of the light should be most carefully concealed; it is the reflec¬ 
tion alone that lends enchantment to the scene; should the 
spectators gain, only for a moment, a sight of the burning mass, 
the spell is dissolved. The company were accordingly directed 
to proceed to a different part of the grounds, where this im¬ 
portant condition could be fulfilled. The red fire was first 
displayed, by which every herb, shrub, and tree glowed with 
an intense color. An illusion so magical acted upon the sen¬ 
sitive imagination of the vicar, and called forth from the 
depths of his classical reminiscences various quotations de¬ 
scriptive of the realms of Tartarus ; while the green light which 
succeeded, after a sufficient interval to allow the eye to re- 
* JEn. 1. v. 




442 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOBT. 


cover its just perception, transported him, in imagination at 
least, from penal regions to those that were regarded as the 
brighter abodes of happy spirits—the “ locos Icetos et amcena 
Virata}' of Virgil. 

The major and Mr. Seymour, although they played upon 
his singularities, were anxious, on every occasion, to gratify 
the classical humor of the vicar, and had accordingly ar¬ 
ranged for him a very agreeable surprise; it was a Tableau , 
in which the shade of the unhappy Dido was seen gliding 
through the wood, and refusing to recognize the advances of 
her earthly lover. The green' hue cast upon the figure went 
far to realize the spectral form of the poet’s imagination, 
while the parts of Dido and iEneas were admirably sustained 
by Mrs. Beacham and her husband. 

The entertainment of the evening concluded with what 
pyrotechnics call “ a set piece;" it was a Catherine-wheel of 
imposing size and splendor, repeatedly changing its form and 
devices, and finally discharging a shower of rockets. The 
dense volume of smoke which followed gradually cleared off, 
and the appropriate motto “ farewell,” appeared in spark¬ 
ling letters of ruby light. 

In a few minutes the populace separated, and were on their 
respective roads home, when a large rocket ascended, and, 
bursting over their heads, discharged a parachute, to which 
was attached a brilliant light: eight similar rockets followed, 
and, by ingeniously varying the direction and angle, the ma¬ 
jor contrived to launch the floating luminaries, in the form of 
a crown or circle, each alternately changing its color from 
red to blue, and thus imparting to the landscape the ruddy hue 
of the setting sun, or the milder radiance of a mellow moonlight. 

“ Charming—most charming 1” exclaimed the delighted 
vicar; “ why, my dear major,” continued he in the same tone 
of enthusiasm, “ your prolific ingenuity divests even a parting 
scene of its accompanying gloom, 

‘ Et noctem flammis funalia vincunt,’ 

as the immortal poet has it.” 



EXPLANATORY AND SUPPLEMENTARY 


NOTES; 

ADDRESSED MORE ESPECIALLY TO 

PARENTS AND PRECEPTORS, 

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EXPLANATORY AND SUPPLEMENTARY 


NOTES, 

REFERRED TO BY FIGURES IN THE TEXT. 


Note 1, p. 50.— Velocity of Light. 

It is scarcely possible so to strain the imagination ,as to con¬ 
ceive the velocity with which light travels. “ What mere 
assertion will make any man believe,” asks Sir J. Herschel, 
“ that in one second of time, in one beat of the pendulum of 
a clock, a ray of light travels over 192,000 miles, and would 
therefore perform, the tour of the world in about the same 
time that it requires to wink with our eyelids, and in much 
less than a swift runner occupies in taking a single stride ?” 
Were a cannon-ball shot directly toward the sun, and it were 
to maintain its full speed, it would be twenty years in reach¬ 
ing it,* and yet light travels through this space in seven or 
eight minutes. 

Note 2, p. 145.— Earthquake of Lisbon. 

During the dreadful earthquake of Lisbon, bands of wretches 
took advantage of the general consternation to commit the 
most atrocious acts of robbery and murder. In fact, a con¬ 
siderable part of the city was destroyed by incendiaries, who, 
during the disaster, set fire to the houses that they might pil¬ 
lage them with greater impunity. 

* The ancient philosophers would appear to have entertained a curious es¬ 
timate as to the distance of the heavenly bodies. We find it stated in the 
“ Theogony” of Hesiod that, such is the height of tho heavens, a smith’s anvil 
would be nine days in falling thence to the earth. 

38 



446 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT. 


Note 3, p. 241 .—Vegetable Baeometees. 

The following are a few of those plants which indicate 
changes in the weather: 

Chickweed is an excellent barometer* When the flower 
expands fully, we are not to expect rain for several hours; 
should it continue in that state, no rain will disturb the sum¬ 
mer’s day. When it half conceals its miniature flower, the 
day is generally showery; but if it entirely shuts up, or veils 
the white flower with its green mantle, let the traveler take 
the hint and put on his great-coat. The different species of 
trefoil always contract their leaves at the approach of a storm; 
so certainly does this take place, that these plants have ac¬ 
quired the name of the husbandman's barometer. 

The tulip and several of the compound yellow flowers also 
close before rain. There is, besides, a species of wood-sorrel, 
which doubles its leaves before storms and tempests. The 
bauhinia , or mountain ebony, cassia , and sensitive plants, ob 
serve the same habit. 

Note 4, p. 244.— The Whale. 

Did the whale know his own power, he would easily destroy 
all the machinery which the art of man. could devise for 
catching him; it would be only necessary for him to swim on 
the surface in a straight hue in order to break the thickest 
rope; but the fish, on being struck by the harpoon, obeys a 
natural instinct, which, in this instance, betrays him to his 
death. Sir H. Davy, in his Salmonia, observes that the 
whale, not having an air-bladder, can sink to the lowest 
depths of the ocean, and, mistaking the harpoon for the teeth 
of a sword-fish, or a shark, he instantly descends, this being 
his manner of freeing himself from these enemies, who can¬ 
not bear the pressure of a deep ocean; and, from ascending 
and descending in small space, he thus puts himself in the 
power of the whaler. 

Note 5, p. 249.— Peogeessive Motion in Fishes ; Boats 

IMPELLED BY PADDLING, BOWING, &C. 

To render the subject to which this note refers further in- 

* This term is used in its popular acceptation, and does not necessarily im* 
ply a change in the weight of tne aii 



NOTES. 


447 


L 



telligible, we may show the means by which a fish moves 
forward in the water. The accompanying 
diagram and demonstration are from Dr. 

Roget’s Bridgewater Treatise. 

The tail is the principal instrument by 
which the progressive motion is effected, a 
T ims, suppose that the tail is inclined to 
the right; if, in this situation, the muscles 
of the left side, tending to bring the tail 
in a right line with the body, are suddenly 
thrown into action, the resistance of the 
water, by reacting against the broad sur¬ 
face of the tail, in the direction P R, per¬ 
pendicularly to that surface, will cause the 
muscular action to give the whole body 
an impulse in that direction; and the cen¬ 
ter of gravity, C, will move onward in the 
the direction 0 B, parallel to P R. This impulse is not de¬ 
stroyed by the further flexion of the tail toward the left 
side, because the principal force exerted by the muscles has 
already been expended in the motion from R to M, in bring¬ 
ing it to a straight line with the body; and the force which 
carries it on to L is much weaker, and therefore occasions a 
more feeble reaction. When the tail has arrived at the posi¬ 
tion L, indicated by the dotted outline, a similar action of the 
muscles on the right side will create a resistance and an im¬ 
pulse in the direction of K L, and a motion of the whole 
body in the same direction, 0 A. These impulses being re¬ 
peated in quick succession, the fish moves forward in the 
diagonal 0 D, intermediate between the direction of the two 
forces. 

Upon the same principle a boat is impelled by paddling; 
and the action of the rudder of a ship in turning the vessel 
will be readily understood. In this latter case, however, 
there is an additional mechanical advantage; since the point 
round which the vessel turns is beyond the middle and toward 
the prow, and hence the force applied at the extremity of the 
keel acts as by an arm of a lever. 


Note 6, p. 250.— Plight of Bieds. 

In appreciating the mechanical means by which a bird is 
enabled to direct its course, we must not omit to take into 
account the power it possesses of changing the position of the 





448 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT. 


center of gravity of its body, so that the reaction of the air 
may be modified with regard to each wing 

Note 7, p. 250 .—Flight of Insects. 

The command possessed by insects, in directing and chang¬ 
ing their course, seems more perfect even than that of birds. 
Many of them travel on their wings to immense distances, 
and, considering their comparative size, they generally move 
through the air with greater velocity than that of birds. 
Bees have been known to fly great distances from their hive, 
in search of food; and the silk-worm moth has traveled 
more than a hundred miles in a very short space of time. 
Many of our readers have, no doubt, noticed with surprise 
the apparent facility with which gnats have accompanied 
them, although they may have been advancing on horseback 
at a full gallop; and the author, during the last summer, has 
been forcibly struck with the manner in whicli flies and other 
insects have kept up with a railway carriage, alternately fly¬ 
ing in and out of the vehicles, as though they had been at 
perfect rest. Some species possess a remarkable power of 
poising themselves in the air, and hovering for a length of 
time over the same spot, without falling or rising, advancing 
or retreating: the Dragon-jly affords a striking example of 
this fact. 

Note 8, p. 251.— Obliquity of the Wings of Bieds. 

In consequence of the manner in which the wings aro 
affixed to the scapulas, they give a stroke to the air in a di 
rection both downward and backward; so that, while the 
former supports the bud, the latter impels it forward. It is 
curious to notice that the degree of this obliquity varies in 
different birds, and is evidently adapted to their habits: thus, 
for instance, birds of prey have a great obliquity of wing, 
which better enables them to pursue their victims in a hori¬ 
zontal course; while those buds which soar to a consider¬ 
able elevation, in a nearly vertical direction, as the Lar\ 
have scarcely any obliquity of wing, but strike directly down¬ 
ward. 

Note 9, p. 252.—A Mechanical Peoposition. 

This fact may be demonstrated by converting the triangle 
into a parallelogram, of which one of the sides of the trian- 



NOTES. 


449 


gle will become its diagonal: the other two sides will, of 
course, represent two forces equivalent to such diagonal, 
which, acting in opposition to it, must produce a balance. 

Note 10, p. 255. —Kite Messengeks. 

The curious experiments of Mr. Faraday upon the optical 
effects produced by the revolutions of different wheels, might 
be exhibited by arrangements adjusted as messengers. 

Note 11, p. 258. —Blowing Hot and Cold. 

It may be presumed that most persons have observed that 
after having blown out a taper, it may be readily rekindled 
by again blowing upon the yet glowing wick ;* but we sus¬ 
pect that but few of such observers are prepared to give a 
philosophical explanation of it. In truth, all the phenomena 
connected with the structure and burning of a common can¬ 
dle teem with so much scientific interest, that, had not this 
volume exceeded the limits originally assigned to it, the author 
would have invited the reader’s attention to them; but at 
present we can only deal with its flame, the structure of 
which may be readily seen by placing behind it the strong 
light of an Argand lamp, and throwing its shadow upon the 
Avail, Avlience we shall learn that it is an elongated bubble, the 
exterior of which, being in contact with the air, alone burns, 
while its interior is filled by a magazine of combustible va¬ 
por. As soon as the wick is ignited it melts a certain por¬ 
tion of the wax or tallow, and forms a cup or crater, from 
which combustible matter, for the supply of the flame, is con¬ 
tinually drawn up by the capillary action of the wick.—When 
a candle is “ Mown out this bubble is mechanically separated, 
and driven off, from the wick; and its supply of combustible 
vapor having been so Avithdrawn, it is necessarily extin¬ 
guished. By blowing upon the yet glowing wick, still envel¬ 
oped in an inflammable atmosphere, we suddenly direct upon 
it a stream of fresh air, and, by thus raising its temperature, 
rekindle the hot vapor that continues to flow from it; so that 
it may be said we “ Mow it out ” mechanically, and “ Mow it 
in ” chemically. 

* This is the more remarkable in the small green wax taper in common use. 
When the flame is blown out, the wick will continue red-hot for some hours, 
which does not happen with the white or red taper. This fact has been sup¬ 
posed to depend upon the metallic coloring of the former (an oxide of copper) 
yielding a portion of its oxygen. 



450 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT. 


This explanation is in some respects opposed to that of Sir 
H. Davy, who says, when we blow out a candle, the extinc¬ 
tion is produced by the cooling power of the current of ah' 
projected into the flame. The answer is, that a blast of hot 
air will puff it out. 

Note 12, p. 283.— Sound conveyed by Solid Bodies. 

A beautiful experiment was lately instituted at Paris, to 
illustrate this fact, by Biot. At the extremity of a cylindrical 
tube, upwards of 3000 feet in length, a ring of metal was 
placed, of the same diameter as the aperture of the tube; and 
in the center of this ring, in the mouth of the tube, was sus¬ 
pended a clock-bell and hammer. The hammer was made to 
strike the ring and the bell at the same instant, so that the 
sound of the ring would be transmitted to the remote end of 
the tube through the conducting power of the matter of the 
tube itself; while the sound of the bell would be transmitted 
through the medium of the air included within the tube. 
The ear being then placed at the remote end of the tube, the 
sound of the ring, transmitted by the metal of the tube, was 
first distinctly heard; and, after a short interval had elapsed, 
the sound of the bell, transmitted by the air in the tube, was 
heard. The result of several experiments was, that the metal 
of the tube conducted the sound with about ten and a half 
times the velocity with which it was conducted by the air; 
that is, at the rate of about 11,865 feet per second. 

Note 13, p. 301.— Expeessive Music. 

The biographer of Josquin des Prez, the celebrated musi¬ 
cian, and maestro di capella to Louis XII., King of France, 
relates an anecdote which may be here told in connection 
with the present subject. When Josquin was first admitted 
into the service of the French monarch, he had been promised 
a benefice by his majesty; but this prince, contrary to his 
usual habits, for he was in general both just and liberal, forgot 
the promise he had made; when Josquin, after suffering great 
inconvenience from the shortness of his majesty’s memory, 
ventured by the following expedient to remind him publicly 
of his profnise without giving offense. He had been com¬ 
manded to compose a motet for the Obapel Royal, on which 
occasion he selected part of the 119th Psalm, “ Memor esto 
verbi tui servo tuo”— a O think of thy servant as concerning 



NOTES. 


451 


thy word,” —which he set in so supplicating and exquisite a 
manner, that it was universally admired, particularly by the 
king, who was not only touched by the music, but felt the 
words so effectually, that he soon afterward granted his pe¬ 
tition, by conferring on him the promised preferment. For 
which act of justice and munificence, Josquin, with equal 
felicity, composed as a hymn of gratitude another part of the 
same Psalm,— u Bonitcitem fecisti cum servo tuo , Domine ,”— 
u 0 Lord , thou hast dealt graciously with thy servant .” 

Note 14, p. 808.— Imaginary Forms, or Change Resem¬ 
blances. 

The following case, quoted by Sir David Brewster, in his 
work on u Natural Magic,” from the life of Peter Heaman, a 
Swede, who was executed for piracy and murder at Leith in 
1822, will afford a very curious example of the influence of 
the imagination in creating distinct forms out of an irregularly 
shaded surface. u One remarkable thing was, one day as we 
mended a sail, it being a very thin one, after laying it upon 
deck in folds, I took the tar-brush and tarred it over in the 
places which I thought needed to be strengthened. But when 
we hoisted it up, I was astonished to see that the tar I had 
put upon it represented a gallows and a man under it without 
a head. The head was lying beside him. He was complete, 
body, thighs, legs, arrqs, and in every shape like a man. 
Now, I oftentimes made remarks upon it, and repeated them 
to the others. I always said to them all, 1 You may depend 
upon it that something will happen.’ I afterward took 
down the sail on a calm day, and sewed a piece of canvas 
over the figure to cover it, for I could not bear to have it 
always before my eyes.” Thus may be explained how Theo- 
doric saw in the head of a fish which was served up to him 
that of Symachus, whom he had unjustly executed. 

The curious effect of chance resemblance was particularly 
remarked by Leonardo da Vinci in the moss and stains on old 
stones, so that persons wholly unacquainted with drawing 
have been thus enabled by such imaginary guides to sketcl. a 
number of clever figures upon a wall so stained. It is told of 
Protogenes, a painter of Rhodes, that, having been engaged to 
represent a dog panting and with froth in his mouth, after 
many unsuccessful attempts, in a fit of despair, he threw his 
wet sponge at it, and thus produced an appearance which, 
with a little assistance from his brush, accomplished the d*v 




452 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT. 


Bign. In onr own times, this faculty of the imagination has 
not unfrequently been enlisted into the service of the fortune¬ 
teller for purposes of fraud and imposition. The following 
story is related on credible testimony. “ABritish officer, in 
expectation of promotion, and of being united to a lady in 
marriage, sought a gipsy fortune-teller. The sorceress, no 
doubt, had made herself well acquainted with these circum¬ 
stances. On entering the room, she ordered a large glass of 
spring-water, into which she poured the white of a newly- 
laid egg. After shaking the mixture for some time, she so 
far succeeded as to induce the credulous observer to declare 
that he saw most distinctly the image of the ship in which 
he was to hoist his flag, the church in which he was to be 
married, and his bride going with him into the church.”— 
{The Gipsies' Advocate, by J. Crabb.) In certain cases the 
chance resemblance is so striking, as to require little or no 
aid from the imagination to complete the figure. A young 
friend of the author, who lately made a pedestrian tour 
through Wales, has furnished him with the accompanying 
faithful portrait of a rocky prominence, which may be seen 
at the foot of Snowdon, on the road from Beddgelert to 
Caernarvon. 



-Uti de marmore coepto 

Non exacte satis, rudibusque simillima signis.* 


-“Marble so appears, 

Rough-hewn to form a statue, ere the hand 
Completes the change.”--Owed Metam. lib. i. 









NOTES. 


453 . 


Hence may have originated Pock Idols. Cornwall abounds 
with such objects, to which many legendary tales are attached, 
and, with a dim mist and faint moonlight, the imagination 
will not require the aid of glamour, nor the spells of the Lap- 
land Witch, to convert the looming masses on the wild moors 
into shapes of mysterious bearing; 

u While the mists 

Flying, and rainy vapors, call out shapes 
And phantoms from the craigs.” 

Excursion. 

So, again, the grotesque forms, to be seen on the gnarled 
boughs of the forest, may have readily suggested the idea of 
Sylvan Genii and Wood Demons. The figured marks visible 
on sections of the pebble evidently gave rise to the cameo. 

The floral kingdom will also supply many very remarkable 
instances of what may be said to be “ chance resemblances,” 
although we are far from being prepared to say that they are 
not designs premeditated by Nature for some wise purpose. 
We more particularly refer to the “ Orchidece ,” the animal 
shape of whose blossoms is singularly striking: thus we have 
flies, bees, spiders, butterflies, &c., so naturally represented 
as to require no aid of the imagination to realize then’ forms. 
At Leigh Park, the seat of Sir George Staunton, we have 
lately seen, in the splendid conservatories of tl^at accomplished 
baronet, the Mexican Peristeria , in whose corolla appears a 
dove, with its wings and beak assuming a reality that is per¬ 
fectly astonishing. 

Note 15, p. 318.— Resonance. 

In order to comprehend the nature of reciprocated vibra¬ 
tion, or resonance , let the reader keep in his remembrance the 
analogy between musical vibration and the oscillation of the 
pendulum, as explained at page 289. If he well understands 
the phenomena of the latter, he will readily comprehend 
those of the former. Galileo observed that a heavy pendu¬ 
lum might be put in motion by the least breath of the 
mcuth, provided the blast were often repeated, and made to 
keep time exactly with the vibrations of the pendulum: from 
the same sympathetic communication of vibrations will two 
pendulum clocks fixed to the same wall, or two watches lying 
upon the same table, take the same rate of going, though they 
would not agree with one another if placed in separate apart- 




454 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET. 


ments. Mr. Ellicott indeed observed that the pendulum of 
one clock was even able to stop that of the other; and that 
the stopped pendulum, after a certain time, would resume its 
vibrations, and in its turn stop the vibrations of the other. 
We have here a correct explanation of the phenomena of 
Resonance; for the undulations excited by a vibratory body 
are themselves capable of putting in motion all bodies whose 
pulses are coincident with their own, and consequently with 
those of the primitive sounding body; lienee the vibrations 
of a string, when another, tuned in unison with it, is made to 
vibrate. 

Upon this fact is founded a very affecting story by Kotzebue. 
The lover of a young lady died. His harp, on which he had 
been accustomed to accompany her, hung neglected in her 
chamber. After a long period of grief she again touched the 
chords of her instrument; the lover’s harp, tuned in accord¬ 
ance, responded, which impressed’ her with the superstitious 
belief that his spirit swept the strings in sympathy. A scien¬ 
tific friend however, more philosophically than wisely, ex¬ 
plained to her the principle of phonic harmonies: from that 
hour the dear illusion vanished—her harp was heard no more 
—she drooped and died. Well might she have exclaimed 
with Horace, “ Pol me occidistis” —the classical reader will 
complete the quotation* 

Upon the same principle does the resonance, or recipro¬ 
cated vibrations of columns of air depend. We are muck 
indebted to Mr. Wheatstone for our knowledge in this branch 
of acoustics: he has shown that, if a tuning-fork or a bell be 
sounded before a tube inclosing a column of air of the neces¬ 
sary length, the original sound will be augmented by the rich 
resonance of that air; and that the sounds of tuning-forks, if 
held before the cavity of the mouth, may be reciprocated 
most intensely by adjusting the alterable volume of air con¬ 
tained within it to the pitch of the instrument; by placing, 
for instance, the tongue, &c., in the position for the nasai 
continuous sound of ng (in song), and then altering the aper¬ 
ture of the lips until the loudest sound was obtained, he rea¬ 
dily accomplished his object. 

If two vibrating tuning-forks, differing in pitch, be held 

*-“ Ah! cruel friends, she cried, 

Is thi3 to save me ? Better far have died, 

Than thus be robb’d of pleasure so refined, 

The dear delusion of a raptured mind.” 

Hor. Epist. B. ii., Epist. 2. 



NOTES. 


455 


over a closed tube, furnished with a movable piston, either 
sound may be made to predominate, by so altering the piston 
as to obtain the exact column of air which will reciprocate 
the required sound. The same result may be obtained by se¬ 
lecting two bottles (whicli may be tuned with water), each 
corresponding to the sound of a different tuning-fork; on 
bringing both tuning-forks to the mouth of each bottle alter¬ 
nately, that sound only will be heard, in each case, which is 
reciprocated by the unisonant bottle; or, in other words, by 
that bottle which contains a column of air susceptible of 
vibrating in unison with the fork. 

Among the Javanese instruments brought to England by 
the late Sir Stamford Raffles, there is one called the gender , in 
which the resonances of columns of air are employed to aug¬ 
ment, we might almost say to render audible, the sounds of 
vibrating metallic plates. Under each of these plates is placed 
an upright bamboo, containing a column of air of the proper 
length to reciprocate the lowest sound of such plate. If the 
aperture of the bamboo be covered with pasteboard, and its 
corresponding plate be struck, a number of acute sounds only 
(depending on the more numerous subdivisions of the plate) 
will be heard; but, on removing the pasteboard, an additional 
deep rich tone is produced by the resonance of the column of 
air within the tube.* 

It is only by a knowledge of this principle that the theory 
of the Guimbarde, or Jew’s-harp, can be well understood. 

A striking instance of the power of resonance has been re¬ 
corded of a person who, by a clear and powerful voice, was 
enabled to break several tumbler-glasses in succession, by 
singing the fundamental note proper to each close to them. 

Note 16, p. 313.— TnE Jew’s-Harp. 

The Memoirs of Madame de Genlis first made known the 
astonishing powers of a poor German soldier on the Jew’s- 
harp. This musician was in the service of Frederick the 
Great, and, finding himself one night on duty under the win¬ 
dows of the king, played the Jew’s-harp with so much skill, 
that Frederick, who was a great amateur in music, thought 


* The air-bladder of fishos, in addition to other uses (p. 204), serves the pur¬ 
pose of increasing by resonnuce the intensity of the sonorous undulations com¬ 
municated from the water to the fish ; and, in many species the bladder has an 
immediate connection with the labyrinth of the ear ; and in other cares the con¬ 
nection takes plane through the vertebrse. 



456 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT. 


he heard a distinct orchestra. Surprised on learning that 
such an effect could he produced by a single man with two 
Jew’s-harps, he ordered him into his presence; the soldier re¬ 
fused, alleging that he could only be relieved by his colonel; 
and that, if he obeyed, the king would punish him the next 
day for having failed to do his duty. Being presented the 
following morning to Frederick, he was heard with admira¬ 
tion, and received his discharge and fifty dollars. This artist,, 
whose name Madame de Genlis does not mention, was called 
Koch; he had not any knowledge of music, but owed his 
success entirely to a natural taste. He made his fortune by 
traveling about, and performing in public and private; and 
retired at Vienna at the advanced age of more than eighty 
years. He used two Jew’s-harps at once, in the same manner 
as the Peasants of the Tyrol; and produced, without doubt, the 
harmony of two notes struck at the same moment, which 
was considered by the musically-curious as somewhat extra¬ 
ordinary, when the limited powers of the instrument were 
remembered. It was Koch’s custom to require that all the 
lights should be extinguished, in order that the illusion pro¬ 
duced by his playing might be increased. 

It was reserved, however, for Mr. Eulenstein to acquire a 
musical reputation from the Jew’s-harp. After ten years of 
close application and study, this young artist attained a per¬ 
fect mastery over this untractable instrument. In giving 
some account of the Jew’s-harp, considered as a medium for 
musical sounds, we shall only present the result of his disco¬ 
veries. This little instrument, taken singly, gives whatever 
grave sound you may wish to produce, as a third, a fifth, or 
an octave. If the grave tonic is not heard in the bass Jew’s- 
harp, it must be attributed not to the defectiveness of the in¬ 
strument, but to the player. In examining this result, you 
cannot help remarking the order and unity established by na¬ 
ture in harmonical bodies, which places music in the rank of 
exact sciences. The Jew’s-harp has three different tones: 
the bass tones of the first octave bear some .resemblance to 
those of the flute and clarionet; those of the middle and high 
to the vox humana of some organs; lastly, the harmonical 
sounds are exactly like those of the harmonica. It is con¬ 
ceived that this diversity of tones affords already a great va¬ 
riety in the execution, which is always looked upon as being 
feeble and trifling, on account of the smallness of the instru¬ 
ment. It was not thought possible to derive much pleasure 
from any attempt which could be made to conquer the diflS- 



NOTES. 


457 


cnlties of so limited an instrument; because, in the extent of 
these octaves, there were a number of spaces which could not 
he filled up by the talent of the player; besides, the most 
simple modulation became impossible. Mr. Eulenstein has 
remedied that inconvenience by joining sixteen Jew’s-harps, 
which he tunes by placing smaller or greater quantities of 
sealing-wax at the extremity of the tongue. Each harp then 
sounds one of the notes of the gamut, diatonic or chromatic, 
and the performer can fill all the intervals, and pass all the 
tones, by changing the harp. That these mutations may not 
interrupt the measure, one harp must always be kept in ad¬ 
vance, in the same manner as a good reader advances the eye, 
not upon the word which he pronounces, but upon that which 
follows. 

Note 17, p. 331.— Verbal Telegraph. 

This project has been revived: in a number of the “ Revue 
Encyclopedique” there is a proposal to communicate verbal 
intelligence, in a few moments, to vast distances; and this 
not by symbols, as in the Telegraph, but in distinct articulate 
sounds uttered by the human voice. The plan is said to have 
originated with an Englishman, Mr. Dick, according to whose 
experiments the human voice may be made intelligible at the 
distance of twenty-five or thirty miles. It has been stated, 
in Note 12, that the celebrated Biot had ascertained that 
sound travels more than ten times quicker when transmitted 
in solid bodies, or through tubes, than when it passes through 
the open air; at the distance of more than half a mile the 
low voice of a man was distinctly heard. Father Kircher re¬ 
lates in some of his works, that the laborers employed in the 
subterranean aqueducts of Rome heard each other at the 
distance of several miles. The invention of the Electrical 
Telegraph has, however, consigned all such schemes to Lethe. 

Note 18, p. 404. —Origin of Popular Ceremonies. 

The soothsayers attributed many mystic properties to the 
coral; and it was believed to be capable of giving protection 
against the influence of Evil Eyes: it was even supposed that 
coral would drive away devils and evil spirits; hence arose 
the custom of wearing amulets composed of it around the 
neck, and of making crowns of it, _ Pliny and Dioscorides are 
very loud in the praises of the medicinal properties of this sub- 

39 



458 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOET. 


stance; and Paracelsus says that it should be worn round the 
necks of infants, as an admirable preservative against fits, sor¬ 
cery, charms, and even against poison. It is a curious cir¬ 
cumstance that the same superstitious belief should exist 
among the negroes of the West Indies, who affirm-that the 
color of coral is always affected by the state of health of the 
wearer, it becoming paler in disease. In Sicily it is also com¬ 
monly worn as an amulet by persons of all ranks: as a secu¬ 
rity against an evil eye , a small twisted piece, somewhat re¬ 
sembling a horn, is worn at the watch chain, under the name 
of Buon Fortuna , and is occasionally pointed at those who 
are supposed to entertain evil intention. His late Sicilian 
majesty was celebrated for his faith in, and frequent use of, 
the buon fortuna. But to return to the coral usually sus¬ 
pended around the necks of children in our own country. In 
addition to the supposed virtues of the coral, it may be re¬ 
marked that silver bells are usually attached to it, which are 
generally regarded as mere accompaniments to amuse the 
child by their jingle; but the fact is, that they have a differ¬ 
ent origin, having been designed to frighten away evil spirits. 
For the same superstitious object were bells introduced into 
our churches as a species of charm against storms and thun¬ 
der and the assaults of Satan. 

In further illustration of the truth that a custom has fre¬ 
quently survived the tradition of its origin, it may be here 
observed, that the common practice of persons who are una¬ 
ble to write, making their mark or cross, is derived from our 
Saxon ancestors, who affixed the sign of the cross as a signa¬ 
ture to a deed, whether they could write or not. Several 
charters still remain, to which kings and persons of great, 
eminence affix “ Signum Crusis manu 'propria pro ignorantid 
liter arum B Hence is derived the expression of signing in¬ 
stead of subscribing a paper. 


Note 19, p. 404.—TnE Barber’s Pole. 

Many of our younger, .and perchance some of our elder 
readers, may not be aware that, before surgery assumed the 
dignity of a science, the barber performed the operation of 
“letting bloodf and that a city company is still in existence 
under the denomination of “ Barber-Surgeons .” The pole, 
now rarely seen, except in rural districts and suburban by¬ 
ways, represents the staff held in the hand of the patient, and 



NOTES. 


459 


the red ribbon coiled around it, the tape by which the arm 
was compressed during the operation. 


Note 20, p. 419.—How to poise an Egg on its End. 

By smartly shaking the egg, we .disorganize its contents, 
whence the heavier particles fall down; and thus, by lower¬ 
ing its center of gravity, enable the egg to stand steadily on 
its base. 


Note 21, p. 421.— An Arithmetical Trick. 

This problem is to be found in Hutton’s Recreations, and 
is stated as follows: 

“ A person having in one hand an even number of shillings, 
and in the other an odd, to tell in which hand he has the even 
number. 

“ Desire the person to multiply the number in the right 
hand by any even number whatever, and that in the left by 
any odd number; then bid him add together the two pro¬ 
ducts, and, if the whole sum be odd, the even number of 
shillings will be in the right hand, and the odd number in the 
left; if the sum be even, the contrary will be the case. By 
a similar process, a person having in one hand apiece of gold, 
and in the other a piece of silver, we can tell in which hand 
he holds the gold, and in which the silver. For this purpose, 
some value represented by an even number, such as 8, must 
be assigned to the gold, and a value represented by an odd 
number, such as 3, must be assigned to the silver; after 
which the operation is exactly the same as in the preceding 
example. 

u To conceal the artifice better, it will be sufficient to ask 
whether the sum of the two products can be halved without 
a remainder ; for, in that case, the total will be even, and in 
the contrary case odd. 

“It will be readily seen that the pieces, instead of being in 
the two hands of the same person, may be supposed to be in 
the hands of two persons, one of whom has the even number, 
or piece of gold, and the other the odd number, or piece of 
silver. The same operations may then be performed in re¬ 
gard to these two persons, as are performed in regard to the 
two hands of the same person, calling the one, privately, the 
right, and the other the left ” 





460 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPOKT. 


bTote 22, p. 422.— An Algebraic Problem. 

It is by discovering the number of counters left on the 
board that this trick is performed. By means of a table the 
problem may be immediately solved; but as such a reference 
would be inconvenient, and, indeed, destructive to the magic 
of the trick, a Latin verse is substituted, which may be easily 
carried in the memory, and will be found to answer all the 
purposes of a table. In order, however, that the reader may 
become thoroughly acquainted with the machinery of the 
trick, we shall explain it in the words of its author. The 
problem is stated as follows: u Three things being privately 
distributed to three persons, to guess that which each has gotT 

Let the three things be a ring, a shilling, and a glove. Call 
the ring a, the shilling e, and the glove i; and in your own 
mind distinguish the persons by Calling them first, second, 
and third. Then take twenty-four counters, and give one of 
them to the first person, two to the second, and three to the 
third. Place the remaining eighteen on the table, and then 
retire, that the three persons may- distribute among - them¬ 
selves the three things proposed without your observing them. 
When the distribution has been made, desire the person who 
has the ring to take from the remaining eighteen counters as 
many as he has already, the one who has the shilling to take 
twice as many as he has already, and the person who has the 
glove to take four times as many: according to the above 
supposition, then, 'the first person has taken one, the second 
four, and the third twelve; consequently one counter only 
remains on the table. When this is done, you may return, 
and, by the number left, can discover what thing each per¬ 
son has taken, by employing the following words: 

1 2 3 5 6 7 

Salve certa animce semita vita quies. 

To make use of these words, you must recollect that in all 
cases there can remain only 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, or 7 counters, and 
never 4. It must likewise be observed, that each syllable 
contains one of the vowels which we have made to represent 
the tilings proposed, and that the first syllable of each word 
must be considered as representing the first person, and the 
second syllable the second. This being comprehended, if 
there remains only one counter, you must emply the first 
word, or rather the first two syllables, sal-ve, the first of 
which, that containing a, shows that the first person has the 



NOTES. 


461 


ring represented by a ; and the second syllable, that contain¬ 
ing e, shows that the second person has the shilling repre¬ 
sented by e ; from which you may easily conclude that the 
third person has the glove. If two counters should remain, 
you must take the second word, cer-ta, the first syllable of 
which, containing e, will show that the first person has the 
shilling represented by e ; and the second syllable, containing 
a, will indicate that the second person has the ring repre¬ 
sented by a. In general whatever number of counters re¬ 
main, that word of the verse which is pointed out by the 
same number must be employed. 

Instead of the above Latin verse, the following French one 
might be used: 

1 2 3 5 6 7 

Par fer Cesar jadis devint si grand 'prince. 

In using the above line, it must be considered as consisting 
only of six words. 

This problem might be proposed in a manner somewhat 
different, and might be applied to more than three persons. 
Those of our readers who may be desirous of further informa¬ 
tion on the subject must consult Bachet in the 25th of his 
“ Problemes plaisantes et delect ablest 

Note 23, p. 423.— The Mystekiotts Lady. 

We cannot be expected to run through all the categories of 
the ingenious system of ciphers by which the feats of this 
lady were performed; but we shall be able, by a general 
description of the scheme, aided by a few examples, to con¬ 
vey such a clear idea of its principles as will even enable our 
readers to practice it on a limited scale, as an occasional 
evening pastime; beyond which it is not desirable to tax the 
mind for so unprofitable an object. It is interesting to ob¬ 
serve to what an extent classification can abbreviate the 
labor of thought and memory. By an ingenious arrange¬ 
ment, it will be seen that any particular object which the 
lady may be called upon to name can be at once brought 
within a very limited list, and that her confederate will then 
be easily enabled so to frame his question as to make it 
indicate the required answer. The annexed table will serve 
as a specimen to illustrate the process. It will be seen 
that various objects, most likely to become the subjects of 
inquiry, are arranged in six distinct columns, each of which 



462 


PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT. 


is denoted by a vowel, thus :—Numbers (a ); Cards (e) ; 
Money (i) ; Trinkets (o) ; Food (u) ; Qualities, as color, 
figure , &c., (y). 



a' 

CARDS. 

e 

MONEY. 

i 

TRINKETS. 

0 

FOOD. 

ll 

I 

QUALITIES A3 
TO COLOR 
AND FIGURE. 

y 

A B 

l 

Clubs. 

Farthing. 

Brooch. 

Cod. 

Black. 

C D 

2 

Diamonds. 

Halfpenny. 

Cardcase. 

Eel. 

Blue. 

E F 

3 

Hearts. 

Penny. 

Pencil. 

Sole. 

Brown. 

G II 

4 

Spades. 

Three pence. 

Penknife. 

Turbot. 

Green. 

I J 

5 



Pincushion. 

Whiting. 

Red. 

K L 

0 

Clubs. 

Four pence. 

Purse. 

Beef. 

Yellow. 

MN 

7 

Diamonds. 

Sixpence. 

Ring. 

Chicken. 

White. 

O P 

8 

Hearts. 

Shilling. 

Seal [tie. 

Mutton. 

Initials. 

aR 

9 

Spades. 

Half-crown. 

Smelling-bot- 

Pork. 

Crest. 

S T 

10 


Crown. 

Thimble; 

Veal. 

Coat of arms. 

U V 

11 

Clubs. 

Half-sovereign. 


! Tart. 


WX 

12 

Diamonds. 

Sovereign. 


Pudding. 


V Z 

13 

Hearts. 






By aid of this arrangement, the first vowel in any short 
word uttered by the confederate secretly points out the 
column in which stands the object of inquiry: such words, 
for instance, as attend—ready—listen—come—hush — yes, 
or try, will respectfully indicate the desired column. This 
first advance toward the solution of the problem having 
been accomplished, the next step is to indicate the particular 
object in the column thus predicated, and this is performed 
by the initial letters of the words addressed to the lady by 
her confederate. For this purpose the reader will, by ref¬ 
erence to the table, observe that on its margin are placed 
the letters of the alphabet, in pairs , which are to be con¬ 
sidered as equivalents—that is to say, the confederate is at 
liberty to avail himself of the one or the other, in order that 
he may have a wider range of signals at his disposal. It will 
also be observed that these equivalent pairs are arranged in 
divisions of fives, which, by thus rendering them referable to 
the thumb and fingers of the hand, will be found to facilitate 
the comprehension of the question; it will, besides, contract 
the range over which the mind has to glance on the instant; 
for the lady, by knowing that all the letters after i j fall in 
























NOTES, 


463 


tlie second division, and those after s t in the third, is at 
once enabled to discard from her consideration two-thirds of 
the list. 

We shall now proceed to exemplify this explanation by a 
reference to the dialogue introduced in the text (page 423). 
In some instances, the questions themselves point out the 
column, without the necessity of calling in the aid of the 
vowel-indication, as exemplified in questions 1, 2, 3, 4. With 
regard to the fifth question, it may be asked, by what means 
was the queen of clubs indicated ? The reader is informed 
that the column of figures not only indicate abstract numbers, 
but any individual card in a suit. ISTo. 1, for instance, stands 
for the ace , and 11, 12, 13, for knave, queen, and king. In 
like manner, the first twelve figures are used to denominate 
the months of the year, as in question 13. Questions 6, 7, 
and 8 require the antecedent of a vowel to denote the column. 
In the sixth question, for instance, the vowel f, marking the 
third column, is announced by the exclamation, “listen!” 
while the following word “ Let,” points out the article in 
that column to be a fourpenny-piece. So, in the seventh 
question, the word “come” intimates the fourth column, 
while the word “ Pray” shows the article in question to be a 
seal. In question 9 the vowel is not required, because the 
column containing articles of food is indicated by the ques¬ 
tion ; the initial b—B egin—points out cod. In question 12 
the vowel is again required, and, accordingly, the word “ now” 
is used to signify the fourth column. The word “ Mention” 
specifies a ring. 

The scheme we have endeavored to explain implies the 
necessity of the one who puts the questions, as well as the 
other who is to answer them, having their table by heart; 
but this is far from difficult, unless, indeed, it be extended 
to a great number of columns. The telegraphic letters, as 
we have shown, may be readily remembered; then the 
suits of cards are alphabetical-—the series of money accord¬ 
ing to value—the trinkets, again, alphabetical, as well as the 
different articles of food—and the qualities as to color and 
figure; while the figures on seals are arranged according to 
their ascending complexity, as initials, crests, and coat-of-arms. 
With such assistance the succession of the different articles 
in each column is readily learnt, and easily remembered. 

But, however extensive a table may be, it is impossible to 
provide for every article that may be submitted for trial; 
many of which are frequently of a singular nature, with a 



464 


PIIILOSOL’Iiy IN SPOET. 

" 


view to embarrass the performer. Our fifteenth question 
was introduced for the purpose of showing how the diffi¬ 
culty is to he encountered. The confederate, in such a case, 
has no other resource than to spell the word by initial let¬ 
ters. This was accomplished in the question alluded to by 
a number of words in the form of an unpremeditated inter¬ 
jection; any other form of conversation or remonstrance 
between the confederate and the party may, however, he 
readily adopted. Let the reader refer to the words employed 
in our fifteenth question, and he will perceive that the word 
squieeel was communicated to the lady without difficulty, 
thus:—Somewhat Quaint. It’s Remarkably Relieved. Every 
Line. 







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